AYWDJ: All because of you
by caper-dj
Summary: A modern day fan fiction for Davy Jones, Koleniko and Jimmylegs. A "day in the life" kind of story, like a TV drama or sitcom. Please read the author's note in the first chapter. Please note that this story takes some imagination at first and is different from other POTC fanfics. It was first written in 2007 and is currently being re-written. Cover art belongs to Grizzlelvr
1. Chapter 1: The Christmas Gift

_Author's Note: This story takes some imagination. The idea is...what if Davy, Koleniko and Jimmy were alive today?_

_What I am trying to accomplish is a fictional, modern story for Davy. As if Davy and the two boys were in my character's life for the past year or more. I am trying something completely different, even though since I began this story back in 2007, the idea has been copied. I will try to remain as close to their original personalities as possible. Davy will still be, at times, angry/emo, Jimmy will still be cranky/mean (though I will explore a deeper side of him), and Koleniko will remain similar to my version of him in EOTB._

___Well here's the twist. Imagine Davy played himself in the POTC movies (sorry Nighy fans), I know it sounds weird but eventually it won't matter. Okay…still with me? Pretend he's a real person, named Davy Jones, with the squid face. This is a modern Davy. Seeing since Davy couldn't be cursed in the "real world", there would be another source for his appearance (I will explain it in my early chapters). And because he would still be in CGI in the movie, he doesn't have the crab parts in "real life" (and Niko wouldn't be as spiny, Jimmy wouldn't be melted or with a fin). But he still has to have the squid face…for a reason. I am only slightly changing the characters to suit today's circumstances._

_I am trying something new and different, and sometimes that isn't appreciated. I am trying to break out of that "damsel in distress" story line that too often accompanies POTC fan fictions. I have spent countless hours researching human anatomy and diseases for this story to make it work. If you don't believe that the human body can sprout strange growths like tentacles, Google neurofibromatosis. The human body is capable of amazing and terrifying things. Under this basis, I have created an explanation for Jones' appearance in the 21st century._

_So yes, the premise is odd, I will admit that. But this is meant to be crazy, funny, candid, insightful and romantic. If this is not your cup of tea, no one is forcing you to read this. Because I have put so much effort and energy into this story, I would like to share it with my readers who still appreciate Davy Jones fanfics.  
_

_The story begins before AWE was released to theatres in 2007. This first chapter is more of an introductory/explanatory chapter and the story picks up after it.  
_

_For those of you still interested, here is chapter one. I dedicate this to the memory of my grandfather. He always loved a wild story. Tha gaol agam ort, papa._

* * *

December 2006

The sun sets on another cold, grey evening, three weeks before Christmas. The colorful lights sparkle through the new layer of fallen snow, giving the white blanket a playful appearance. The sight of all the houses decorated so jovially is enough to bring a smile to the face. The warmth inside of Emma Grace's home hides the reality that the air beyond its walls is bone-chilling and almost painful on contact.

Emma sits curled up on her couch, safe and warm under a thick blanket, staring at the twinkling lights on the tree. Underneath, presents overflow from its bows, a definite sign that she is loved because the majority of them are for her.

The house is filled with the scent of freshly baked cookies and spiced eggnog. Christmas music plays softly on the radio while the guests of her annual holiday party laugh and converse amongst themselves. There isn't a soul here that she doesn't love or care about, all of them being family and close friends. Some of them have supported her since the day she was born, to which she will be eternally grateful. A few of them, she hasn't seen in many years. Either they moved away or she had missed while going to university out west. Their presence here tonight brings her comfort as she sniffles from the remainder of her cold.

But during this happy time, she finds herself with a nagging sadness. This melancholy has followed her for many years, being diagnosed with chronic depression when she was only thirteen years old. It causes her to withdraw from the crowds now, forcing her to sit back and witness their bubbly, care-free happiness with slight envy. Her mood has improved dramatically over the years, all thanks to what she refers to as her 'magical little pill'. But as of late, the magic of the pill had turned on her and the doctors decided it would be best if she tried to live without the help of her anti-depressants.

Unable to properly identify the sadness, she just assumes that it is merely withdrawal from the medicine. For the past two weeks, the withdrawal from the medicine has plagued her with electric shocks deep within her brain and nausea so strong that even her favorite holiday chocolates look foul. She pushes the macaroons and chocolate covered caramels away with disgust.

To say that Emma's life was hard would be a vast understatement. Her parents divorced when she was only a small child, forcing her to grow up way before her time. She faced poverty and the risk of being homeless, something no child should ever have to learn about. She was constantly bullied and harassed in school for even the slightest move she made. Both sides of her family were always at war, and she was caught in the middle, trying to protect the other from being attacked and maintain some sense of peace. Her parents remarried and then re-divorced, further showing her that no one was going to stay in her life, teaching her that it is safer not to trust anyone because they always leave. As she grew, she was continually plagued with one unexplained illness after another, often leaving the doctors puzzled and unable to find a cause. And when she turned thirteen and was placed on anti-depressants, she began to gain weight. This only added to her misery.

And now she finds herself unemployed after being injured at work. No, this was not how it was supposed to be. After graduating on the Dean's List from university, she had made up her mind that the pain and suffering was going to end. She was going to be successful and she was going to travel the world and see things most people only dream of. But now with an injured back, she is forced to accept the fact that she will never work with her passion again, her passion for animals.

She has no idea what she will do now. She can't even imagine working a minimum wage job after spending six years earning her degree. But the compensation money for her injury will eventually run out and she has a house to maintain. She is lucky, this is the house she grew up in and is paid in full. But there is still the heating bill, the water, groceries, student loans and other various expenses that pop up unexpectedly when you can't afford them.

Closing her eyes to her troubles, she leans back into the plush comfort of the couch. Instead of focusing on what bothers her, she decides to turn her thoughts to something that recently has caught her attention in a big way. A man.

Normally, Emma Grace isn't the type to get flustered by the opposite sex. Her usual strategy with men is to ignore them or hate on them because they cause nothing but pain. After all, that is what she was taught, and she learned that lesson the hard way. Too often she fell for the advances of a man, assuming they were pure and genuine. It always turned out that they were looking to soothe their own needs and didn't give a damn about hers. She often ended up broken-hearted because of her naïve view of the world.

But for once, she finds herself smiling at the mental image of this man in her mind. A man from a recent movie she purchased. Most women will easily tell you that they think an actor is attractive. But the man she dreams of now is not exactly considered appealing by the female population. Far from it.

From the moment she laid eyes on his face, she felt something odd. She looked into his amazing blue eyes and saw something more. She had always been amazed by the villains in a movie, and as this man plays a major antagonist in her favorite film series, she found herself amazed by him as well. And while watching the DVD the other day, she was shocked to find herself attracted to him. She had been hit by a strong dizzy spell caused by the medicine withdrawal, but the instant she heard his approaching footsteps on screen, her eyes opened wide and the dizziness retreated. And a thought occurred to her, '_oh no, no this can't be possible! How could I possibly be attracted to a man like him? I am definitely going insane_.'

At first, she kept it to herself in fears of being judged or made fun of by others. But as the feelings began to grow stronger, the secret slowly started to seep out. At first, it started with her buying his action figure, which she secretly kissed before going to bed every night. Somehow, this silly ritual made her feel better while being surrounded by emptiness. But then her family started asking her for her opinion of the movie, wondering if it was worth the watch. That's when it became apparent to everyone around her that she had a thing for him.

At first, they were unnerved by her attraction, but they quickly reminded themselves that this was normal for Emma. She always fell for the guys who were rejected or down trodden. She would always be the one to develop an obsession over something. She has a crazy and vivid imagination, so why would he be any different? So he was just one among many to them.

But not to Emma. No, this man was different. This was a man that she could see herself being happy over, just because he existed. She had read his interviews online; he had seemed to be very down to earth with a witty sense of humor. This has always been appealing to her. She secretly fantasized about what it would be like to kiss a man like him, to be held in his thick, muscular arms. It was all in fun, however, because she knew that she would never be able to meet him. He was an actor and she was just a silly fan lusting over him on the opposite side of the continent. That and he probably wouldn't even be attracted to her, as most men aren't. But still, something pleased her greatly to fantasize about curling up with him in bed, listening to the air expand in his lungs and to feel the heat from his body. She sees no harm in fantasizing about a man like him now, a man like Davy Jones.

His face floats through her mind, blocking out the world around her. Despite the fact that most people are repulsed by his appearance – a thick and flowing beard of octopus tentacles – she finds herself curious about how they'd feel raveled around her arms, pulling her close. She laughs to herself at the thought that most people would be disgusted by her thoughts of sharing her bed with him. But why should she care? Why should she conform to a society that never did anything for her?

"Emma, stop your fantasizing."

She opens her eyes and looks up at her Godfather, Alex. She has always called him G, short for his role in her life. He smiles down at her as if he knows exactly what she was dreaming about. G is a globe trotter just like Emma; it's who she gets it from. He works in the movie industry, and has an incredible resume. He has wined and dined with some of the biggest celebrities in the business. He hasn't been home in a very long time and Emma feels safer just having him here again. G has been her most loyal friend and defender.

"No, I don't want to. My dreams are so much nicer than my life." She takes a pillow from the couch and covers her head, blocking out the image of her Godfather and trying to put Davy back into the spotlight in her mind.

"I know it has been tough for you lately, but I think I have something for you that will cheer you up."

With that, she removes the pillow. Her family has been gathering in the room without her knowing and it is then she can hear her dog playfully barking out in the porch. But everyone is here, who would he be barking at?

"An early Christmas present, just for you." G continues with a sly smile, his blue eyes shining in the holiday lights. He reaches for her hand and pulls her to her feet. Knowing that she has been dizzy, he wraps an arm around her waist and leads her away.

As she walks, she notices a few of her younger cousins giggling. Everyone else is smiling at her as if they know something big is about to happen. As G is one of her biggest tormentors, she only can assume this is a joke that will have everyone laughing. She'd like to join them in the fun but just doesn't feel up to it.

"What are you up to, G?" She grumbles as he leads her to the porch.

He turns to face her and gently squeezes both of her hands in his. "Got a surprise for you. I want to be able to give you a Christmas you'll never forget. A person with hardships should be able to laugh and smile once and a while and I think this gift will help." He announces softly to her and turns the doorknob to open the door to the porch.

Her dog now stops his barking and rushes excitedly to her side. She looks up from his joyous little face and it's as if her world slowed down to a snail's pace, mere seconds feel like hours as her eyes focus on a reverie. Standing there, smiling and looking quite pleased with himself, is the man of her recent dreams. Davy Jones stands there before her in all his glory.

An ear-piercing scream of shock escapes her throat and she stumbles off in shock. Behind her, she can hear the deep, jovial tone of his laughter, the same laughter that had haunted her with pleasurable chills in the movie, are followed by his footsteps coming up the stairs. Everyone around them has broken into hysterical laughter, caused by Emma's priceless reaction. They all knew she would entertain them with her response, being quite the excitable girl and all.

She composes herself and turns to face him, noticing that he is getting plenty of enjoyment from her response as well. And there he is, around six feet tall, wearing a chocolate brown suede jacket that brings out the golden caramel tone of his skin while fitting him perfectly enough to show off the masculine build of his body. Her eyes quickly note the button up shirt that is slightly lighter in shade with an orange pin stripe, a shirt that flows nicely over a flat, hardened stomach. He wears a pair of faded jeans that seem to be made to accentuate the length of his legs and the bulge of his anatomy. Her eyes quickly move away, blushing that she even dared to glance there. They land on his perfectly polished boots and then move up to the bandana on his head; it matches his outfit, making his blue eyes shine like the holiday lights that surround him. She drinks in every inch of him, watching in a daze as his beard sways to and fro as he walks over to her and reaches for her trembling hand. Bowing before her, he presses his soft, warm lips to her skin while gazing up at her. Emma's heart skips a beat and then continues its frantic pulsing.

"I hear that ye are a fan, most gracious I am. Does the lady have a name?"

Her mind goes blank as she stumbles over his question while being too focused on the sound of his voice and the thickness of his Scottish accent. "Ah…my name? My name is…."

"It's Emma Grace! Your name is Emma!" Her sister Mhairie shouts from the laughing crowd of amused relatives.

"Emma!" She announces as if he didn't hear, as if she hadn't just made a fool of herself in front of him.

Davy sends her a smile full of satisfaction. "'Tis a pleasure to meet ye, Emma Grace."

"Say thank you!" Mhairie yells again with a laugh.

"Shut up…" Emma hisses through gritted teeth while sending her sister a dirty glare.

* * *

"So, tell me about yourself." He says as she sits next to him and hands over a steaming cup of hot chocolate. After many introductions to her awaiting family and grasping the ability to calm down, she finally managed to slip away with him for a private conversation. Everyone had their opportunity for a meet and greet with the celebrity, but now he is all hers.

"Well, normally I am not such a spazz," she laughs while trying to redeem herself. "Be careful, it's hot."

"Pity. You're rather charming when you're excited." He chuckles and takes a sip. "This is very good, very rich."

"Yes. It's my special brew. But it's a secret recipe."

"I'll get it out of ye eventually, no rum I wager." He laughs. His eyes sparkle as the Christmas lights reflect off them, making their already intense blue seem more radiant. "Anyways, about you…"

"Well. There's not much to tell, really." She concedes, returning to a normally unpleasant topic. Emma has never been one to discuss herself, afraid her depressing life would always turn people away. "I turned 26 this past summer. I have a Bachelor's degree in science," she shrugs as the information becomes harder to express, "I don't know, I like to write and sing and stuff. I used to dance and ride horses."

"Educated and talented, a good combination. Ye have the world on a platter." He compliments her while smiling.

"Not really. But I try."

He notices her discomfort in talking about herself and decides to offer up what he knows instead. "They tell me ye like to travel." He says before he takes another sip, his cerulean eyes examining the expression on her face to find out how far he can probe into her life.

"Yes. I've been all across Canada and the United States. I'd love to see Africa and the Caribbean someday. Australia as well. Heck, I'd love to see the world." She begins to feel herself loosen up and her tight posture relaxes. His smile at her response is freeing.

"Aye. The Caribbean is nice. I lived there the majority of my life, ye know. This is the farthest north I have ever been, well, if ye exclude Scotland." He laughs while feigning a shiver.

"So you must mind the cold."

"I'm freezing! I don't know how ye can stand to live here."

"It can be trying at times. The hot chocolate will do you good; warm you from the inside out. So I read somewhere that you were a sailor before the movie. So you fit the part nicely."

"Aye." He nods, pleased to know that she has shown enough interest in him to read about his past. Most people don't even ask for his name let alone probe for details on his life. Even if they did, he probably wouldn't tell much, out of fears of rejection. He is a man with little trust. But this girl before him, smiling at his every word causes him to let his guard down. After all, the scream she emitted was one of happiness, not the usual fear driven kind he normally receives. This girl seems to enjoy him for some strange reason. It caused him to become deeply curious when G approached him for the meeting, informing him that there was a young girl who deeply admired him. He continues, "aye, the sea was always my true calling."

"Not to sound like a crazed fan, but you were amazing in the movie. Your first time acting and it didn't even show. I know you had a drama coach, but it appeared as if you've been acting your entire life."

"Thank ye. I haven't seen the movie actually, but I'll take your word for it."

"Are you serious? It's my favorite movie. You should watch it." She playfully states, reaching out and placing my hand on his shoulder. It quickly becomes too intense for her and she removes it in fears of losing control and mauling the poor man. His strong shoulder under her hand caused an intense desire to boil up inside her.

"Nigh. It would seem conceited to me to watch myself prance around on a screen."

"Humble, I like that. So you really talk like that."

"Talk like what?" His forehead crumples into a confused frown.

"With an accent-uh!" She teases. "Emphasizing your every last word-uh!"

"Aye. Your accent is funny too, ye know." He laughs as he waves a finger at her.

She nods, remembering how thick her Eastern Canadian accent can be at times. "I get teased about it all the time," she pauses to gaze at him in wonder. And then the thought finally occurs to her, "so…what are you doing here?"

"I'm your Christmas present." He snickers, leaning back slightly on the couch as if he's proud of this distinction. "Your Godfather and I go way back and he told me of your obsession with me." He sends her a playful wink.

"Oh, Lord. I'd like to say that obsession is a strong word to use, but it does seem accurate at this point," she smiles when she receives the laughter she was hoping for, causing a spark of joy to flutter within her. "So you're my Christmas present? Well, I hope you realize that I'm not going to return you."

He chuckles slightly to himself. "Well. Ye have two weeks."

"But that means you will leave before Christmas. This means you are a teaser present!" She tries to hide the disappointment that is evident in her voice by playfully slapping his arm.

"Sad but true, life's a bitch." He says as he reaches for the bowl of chips on the table in front of them. "So, Miss Emma Grace, ye mentioned that ye write, what about?"

Emma's cheeks flush slightly at the question, the answer being rather personal and secret. She stutters over the words. "About you. I have a story where you have a girl."

Davy's eyes widen with pleasure, like a naughty child that has stumbled across a stash of hidden cookies. "Do I now? Tell me about her." He reaches over and squeezes her shoulder under the heavy thickness of his hand.

"Umm...well…basically, she is someone I think would be suited for you and..." She clears her throat and dodges his question. "It's nothing really; just something I do to pass the time. I don't share it with anyone."

"Really? Is my character romantically involved with her?" Davy leans in and examines her closely. Deep within himself, he fights the urge to torment Emma in his normal way. He has always been one to tease; it's always so enjoyable to cause people to go into a fluster, particularly women.

"You are enjoying this entirely too much, Mr. Jones. I haven't gotten that far in the story…and I honestly don't know if it will come to that." She fibs. She couldn't possibly tell him about the steamy erotica chapters she stayed up all night to write and left herself unable to sleep because she became so hot and bothered over the words she wrote.

"But will my character become romantically involved with her? Ye know, I've heard that in every character an author creates, there is always a slight amount of themselves put into it…"

"Mr. Jones, you have an awful lot of questions." She interrupts, trying to ignore the fantasizing she usually does while writing those steamy stories, wishing it were her instead.

"Aye. And one is left unanswered! Perhaps ye should let me read it. Ye know… just to see if ye are on the right track with my character." He gives an evil smile, one eyebrow raised above the other.

"That's not happening."

"And why not? I am the main character, apparently. Should I not check to see if my character is portrayed correctly as a villain?" He teases, enjoying the sight of her face turning all shades of red.

"Well, you aren't really a villain in my story. I am exploring your softer side."

"Ah, It's definitely a romance then. Ye women and your romances…" He feigns disappointment as he leans farther back on the couch while stretching out his legs. He sends her a flirtatious smile, finding this young girl intriguing and yet humbling. Jones can tell that this girl has a sense of humor, but is unsure if he can let loose his proprieties just yet. So instead, he chooses to behave when he would normally tease and flirt.

"You are evil." She grins over at him.

"And don't act like ye aren't enjoying every minute of it," he wags a finger in her face again. "That, my dear, is why I am the villain in the movie; I do it so well in real life." He grins with a smug satisfaction.

"This brings up an issue I have pondered for a while. Why do you have the same name? I suppose it is just coincidence?"

"My birth name was David. When I was born, my mother abandoned me in the hospital. I guess she didn't want the responsibility of handling a child with a face like this." He draws his hand down the length of his beard. "A man named Samuel Jones later took me in. Hence the last name. He must have had a soft spot for me because he had the same affliction but with different deformities. He was a captain on a ship, and that's how I got into sailing. And because of my appearance, the crew instantly dubbed me after the legend. How could I resist the offer to play the role in the movie when there are so many similarities?"

"You must have had a really hard life." She says softly, empathizing with the vague details of his story.

"Aye. Ye cannot walk around with a face like this and not receive judgment."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that. You don't deserve that."

"Only made me stronger, I'm a better person for it and I know how people truly are simply by the way they look at me. And ye, my dear, perplex me because no one has ever been so kind." He looks away to the dwindling crowd of people and then to the clock hanging over the dying light of the fireplace. "It has been three hours already. Can ye imagine that?"

"Time flies." Emma says with serene smile.


	2. Chapter 2: Getting to know you

After a night of tossing and turning, Emma rose from bed tired and cramped throughout. The entire night was spent in amazement knowing the man of her latest affections was sleeping in the room next to hers. And the thought of creeping across the hall and into his bed kept her from getting any sleep at all. She corrected herself harshly for even thinking such a thought. For one thing, he is a guest in her home, it would be inappropriate. And she has no idea if he would even be interested in her. Climbing into his bed might send him packing. And that's definitely not what she wants.

She creeps to his door a little after six in the morning to listen for a sign of him being awake but is met with no sound inside.

_Now what?_ She runs her fingers through her messy curls. _Can't turn on the TV, might wake him. And after the thoughts I had last night, I don't think I could face him._

Her mind instantly races back to the image that brewed in her mind; the pleasant thought of closing the door behind her, finding her way across the darkened room and climbing on top of him to weigh him down with her lust. She would have pressed a finger to his lips to silence him and calm his worries. She would have told him that they were both adults and that she wanted to show him how much she cared.

But then her rationality floods back in and she remembers that she'd never have the courage to straddle a sleeping stranger in the middle of the night. She reminds herself that she has an infatuation with his character; she doesn't even know this man. And yet she let him stay in her home, stating she wouldn't see him go to a lonely hotel. But the fact that she woke up in tact means that he's harmless.

A yawn escapes from her mouth as she makes her way to the kitchen. _Can't make breakfast yet, that would definitely wake him. I'll make him something when he rises._The thought of him sleeping soundly brings a smile to her face. Those vivid blue eyes shielded from the world, only seeing what he's dreaming. She sighs with the thought.

Her best option is to head downstairs. _Can't clean up the mess from last night so I'll clean the mess in my art room._Still heavily focused on her attraction to the man upstairs, she decides to softly play the music to his movie and gets to work organizing her sketches and paintbrushes.

"Ye really are obsessed."

She turns from the clutter to see Davy standing in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame. Once again, he's dressed in a way that makes Emma's heart pound. His long legs sport a pair of jeans that hug his legs in the right places showing off the large, powerful muscles that carry him so proudly. She wonders if she could convince him to turn around so she could check out his backside, surely that would look just as nice in those wonderful jeans. Once again, he wears a button up shirt, all black this time, but unlike last night, it isn't hidden underneath a jacket. With such a thin layer of clothing, she can see the broad roundness of his shoulders clearly. He has his sleeves rolled up to just above the elbow, his arms folded across his chest.

_God, is every part of this man so powerful? Oh…that's not something I need to be thinking right now with that part of his anatomy looking so very lovely…_

She shakes her head and sees him smiling at her as if he knows her thoughts. "What…what do you mean?" Emma turns away as she can feel her cheeks starting to burn.

"Well, I see a ton of drawings of myself. And I believe that little fella there is an action figure of myself. And ye have my theme song playing."

"Oh do I?" She feigns. The other two are obvious but she's not going to admit that she's been listening to his theme music repeatedly for months, focusing on every note, humming along with eyes closed and imagining the two of them dancing around in a tight embrace on the deck of the _Flying Dutchman_. She stands and removes the CD from the player. "You're up early."

"A force of habit, I'm afraid. One who never gets to sleep in for the duration of their life may never get to know the pleasure. What about yourself?"

"Well, I do know the pleasure. I just couldn't sleep so I decided to get up instead of tossing and turning for a few more hours." She catches him eyeing the many objects in the busy room. "Feel free to look around. I'm sure you'll find something worth teasing me over. But if you break it, you've bought it."

He enters the room with a smirk. "And how much does a deer skull run for?"

"Priceless." She melts at his puzzled but devilish eyes examine her. "That was a gift."

"How very morbid." He laughs.

"Well, I have a biology degree and I work, well…worked, with animals. And it's rare to find a buck skull with its antlers still attached."

"Is it? Well that's something I did not know. 'Tis good to learn something every day." He teases as he walks over to a table covered in a wide variety of biological artifacts. "I think ye might be the next recruit for the _Flying Dutchman_."

"Why's that?"

"Because ye certainly have an awful lot of seashells."

"I think they are pretty. Every time I go to a new beach, I always bring one home."

He snickers. "Ye've been to a lot of beaches then. Come here and I glue some of these on ye." He presses a mussel shell to the side of her cheek.

She blushes at the feeling of his fingertips touching her face. "No thank you. I still have to function in society. I don't fit in now as it is, having shells all over my body would definitely warrant some stares."

"I know how that goes. Holy hell! Is that a cow skull?" He walks over and keels in front of the massive skull. Emma is unable to resist checking out his firm butt that now faces her.

She bites her lower lip to hide her excited reaction. "It has a full set of horns. It's cool."

"And slightly macabre. You're a graveyard pack rat!"

"Just like you, dear." Emma laughs.

"Ah, touché. So that's why ye like my character? 'Cause I'm dead?" He takes a seat next to her on the floor and begins rooting through a can full of shells. He snickers when he comes across a crab arm.

"Yeah, there's nothing sexier than an undead half crab creature from the sea." She teases.

"Don't forget the squid parts." He smiles. "That's what ye like best, isn't it?" He sends a flirtatious wink and then quickly becomes distracted again. "Is that a peacock feather?"

"Yes." She mumbles, trying to suppress the idea of dragging the plumes of that feather along his hardened body to get a heightened reaction.

"Is there anything ye do not collect?"

"I collect shells, bones, and feathers. I press plants…nope. If it is interesting or macabre, I want it. And now I have collected you, so I'll be gluing you to some paper and hanging you on the wall like those feathers up there. You're my favorite specimen of all."

He snickers at the thought. "Kinky."

She blushes. "I'm a freak, I know."

"Not a freak, just different. Like myself. It's not a bad thing, depending on how ye look at it. Ye appreciate the beauty in things that others disregard."

Her cheeks only grow rosier with the comment, knowing well enough he is including himself in that statement. "Something we have in common then." Emma smiles over at him and receives the gesture back. Her heart races at the sight of his mouth turned upwards. He so rarely smiled in the movie, and to see it being sent genuinely to her alone gives her butterflies. "So can you actually play the organ? With your beard?" She changes the subject before he can notice her squirming to suppress her happiness.

"No, they don't work in real life. But yes, I play, I'll show ye sometime before I leave."

"You're not allowed to leave. You're mine now. There's no escape, remember? I'm hanging you on my wall." She finds herself pouting as she returns some of the shells back into the can.

"Hmm," he looks around at the walls that are already covered in artwork, pressed plants and feathers. "You're going to need one hell of a sheet of paper."

They laugh together, both feeling comfortable as if they've been friends for years.

"Will ye use hot glue?" He looks at her from the corner of his eye.

"Oh yes."

He nods. "Sexy. Nothing like some S&M to start the day. Make sure it's nice and hot." He laughs when he receives a slap to the arm. "You're really into it, aren't ye? Want me to turn over?"

She avoids the last question carefully. "You're quite dirty minded, aren't you?"

He leans back and sprawls across the floor, his hands behind his resting head. "I'm sure ye know that answer by now. So Miss Emma Grace, ye are yet to inform me as to why ye are so infatuated with me." He turns his head slowly and sends her a gaze that causes her soul to shiver. His cool blue eyes examine her for the truth.

"You're so smug. It's your character." The words escaping her lips are a lie and they both know it. "I don't know, maybe it's because I know what it feels like to be abandoned by someone who promised to love you. And I know what it's like to want to rip your heart out just to end the pain."

He continues to examine her in silence, his eyes flickering across her entire being in an attempt to grasp her words. He decides not to ask her to divulge this particular story, maybe later. "I'm sorry ye have that in common. I guess that would be a reason to be attracted to a tragic character, similar circumstances and all." He pauses to consider if he should be disappointed to not have heard that she was physically attracted to him, the real Davy Jones. Maybe that is the only reason she cares, maybe she doesn't see him in the way he had hoped since her Godfather first showed him her picture.

"Well," she reaches over and playfully slaps the hardness of his belly-mostly just to feel it-, "I'd say it's time for breakfast. How do pancakes sound?"

He smiles that same genuine smile as before, this time it brims with gratitude. "That would be wonderful."


	3. Chapter 3: Giblets

"I have a surprise for ye".

Davy suddenly jumps up from the couch with the unexpected sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Emma had curled up next to him and found herself saddened to have an empty void replace the warmth his body provided. With only a week left of his stay, she's been desperate to spend as much time with him as possible-and all without him knowing it. The idea of losing him now causes anxiety within her.

Having him here has brought her a peace she's never known before. He calms her with his mere presence; his voice is always soothing to her frayed nerves. How is she supposed to just let him go after they've laughed together and shared their life stories, hope and dreams?

He had caught her worry when he had mentioned that he will write her often and call whenever he gets the chance. He took her hand and pressed his lips to its surface. He gazed into her eyes and told her that he had never felt more welcomed in the entirety of his life. That he knew he had a true friend in her and that was something he was unwilling to lose. She had made him feel accepted and normal, to which he stated he would be eternally grateful. She smiled as she took his hand to her own lips and kissed his knuckles. How could it be possible to become so attached to someone in such a short time? If only there was a way she could convince him that this is where he needs to be. That she would never let another human being damage his precious soul because she just wouldn't allow it. That maybe someday she'd be able to bring this blossoming friendship into something more.

Emma tries to hide her emotions from him and instead forces a smile on her face because he seems to be unable to keep himself from fidgeting. He extends his hand to her in an offer to help her off the couch. She smiles at his politeness and wishes all men were like him. "What surprise? What are you up to?"

"Not telling. Do ye promise to completely freak out like ye did when ye first saw me?" He laughs as he stops in front of the porch door. Emma blinks, not realizing he had led her there, all her focus was placed upon his smiling mouth.

"It depends on what it is."

"How would ye like to meet some other people from the movie?" His excitement is almost overflowing. A sense of pride seems to linger behind it.

"What? So long as they are on your side I should be fine." She gives him a playful poke to his ribs.

He pauses when he hears two separate car doors slam outside. "Oh, they are definitely on my side. In fact, members of my crew. Can ye guess?"

It is Emma's turn to brim with enthusiasm. "Oh! I read somewhere that you are friends with the guys who play the puffer fish dude and the big grouchy bosun! And that they have the same…" She pauses at using the word 'disease'. He had told her all about his affliction one night and how he felt the word 'disease' seemed to imply that he was sick. This always bothered him because he has never felt handicapped by it. "You all have the same affliction."

Davy smiles at her consideration. Normally people would go out of their way to point out his physical faults. "Yes," he continues smiling as he grabs for her coat hanging in the closet. Placing it around her shoulders, he leads her to the steps outside. Squinting in the porch light, she can make out two figures, one built similarly to Davy but slightly shorter and the other one a massive black shadow.

"Come forward, ye blackguards, she can't see ye in the dark." Davy's tone changes from the soft gentle voice she has heard all week to the rasping disciplinary timbre she knows from the movie.

The two figures step simultaneously into the light. Emma happily bounces up and down upon recognition of Koleniko and the Bosun. Unable to suppress her excitement, she giggles nervously as they stare directly at her while enjoying her reaction.

"Miss Emma," the man with the spines on his cheek steps forward and takes her hand. He presses a kiss to her knuckles, his lips slightly cooled by the frosty air. "Ye can call me Niko."

Fully flushed, Emma catches the frown puckered on Davy's face. She examines the man before her as carefully as she did with Davy. He too is finely dressed, though not properly for this climate. His shoulders aren't as broad as Davy's but fit nicely into a brown crushed leather biker jacket. She can only assume what is underneath as he has it zipped all the way up. He sports a pair of expensive looking handsand wash jeans and dress shoes slightly scuffed from his undoubtedly long flight up north.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Niko."

He sends her a flirtatious grin, "pleasure's all mine…"

Upon her cooing, Davy brusquely waves his hand for him to back off and then signals for the bosun to step ahead. As the bosun approaches, they exchange looks of "watch it" and "try me", evidence of some sort of rivalry.

"And you're the bosun…" Emma swoons simply at his size.

"Aye, m' lady, 'tis Jimmylegs at yer service." He repeats Niko's greeting gesture and Emma giggles at the feeling of his barbed lower teeth scraping gently against her skin. From her hand, he looks up and stares at her with shocking blue eyes. His face being far more malformed than Davy's but all she sees is his eyes. He's absolutely massive, built heavy and sturdily. Not an ounce of it is fat, he's pure muscle. He too also dresses with style, similar to Niko except he is in all black with a straight cut dress pant. The bandana covering his head is made of a smooth material and it glints in the dim light.

Deciding he has spent far too long with his mouth on her hand, Davy intervenes. "All right, that's enough." He reaches out to push Jimmylegs aside but the man quickly moves out of reach. He smiles smugly, showing off his set of barracuda-like teeth.

Too flustered to notice any of this, Emma turns back to Niko. "Can you do something for me?"

"Anything, love."

"Can you…poof?"

"What?" His face contorts into a twisted frown. "That's something never to be done in a lady's presence!" He feigns shock and disgust.

"No, no, no...your cheek! Can you do that thing with your cheek?"

"Oh. I thought ye meant out my ass." He pauses. "Not quite. That was all the movie." He raises the spines off his cheek, which sends the girl in front of him into a fit of giggles. "But I can do that."

"Jim knows how to use the whip. Would ye like him to demonstrate that?" Davy asks while frowning down at her, a part of him wondering if bringing them here was a good idea. All of a sudden her affections seem to be elsewhere.

Emma looks over at Jimmy who now bears an evil grin. "No…thanks…"

* * *

"So I've told you about me. Now it's your turn, coxswain." Emma turns to Niko as they sit on the couch. Emma's dog has decided this new person is okay and has curled up next to him to enjoy the repetitive scratching of Niko's fingers behind his ears. Jimmy and Davy are playing cards, shouting profanities at the other for winning.

"Not much to tell I s'pose. I'm a year older than ye are. And I spent the majority of my life at sea. In fact, Davy and ol' Jim there took me in."

"Really?"

"Aye. I don't remember much about my life before those two. All I know is that they were the first two to actually have concern over a starving child everyone else rejected."

Emma's brow sinks at the thought of anyone rejecting a starving child. "So they cared for you?"

"Well. I wouldn't go that far, not with Jim anyway. Yeah, they fed me and kept me safe and dry. But I also had to work my ass off to earn my keep. Not yer typical childhood. Davy was always the captain, so I never messed with him. I still had to earn respect like everyone else. He's the boss, but I still view him as a father because he defended me and educated me as best he could. And Jimmy, well, Jimmy's a real hard ass who doesn't take no for an answer." He laughs. "He always likes to make my life harder for his own amusement."

"You seemed to turn out okay despite that."

"Nah. I'm totally screwed up, love. I just hide it well." He snickers.

"And how did you get in the movie? You had no acting experience prior..."

"Gah. Was I that bad?" He laughs as his eyes scan her up and down.

"No! You were wonderful!" She apologizes and blushes at the same time. "I meant that you wouldn't have had time if you were out at sea…"

"Whatever…put yer foot in a little further. I'm curious to see how far it can go." He laughs. "Well, when they wanted creepy, they found it in ol' Davy over there. And when they saw Jimmy and I, well, the rest makes a lot of sense. Not every day ye come across people like us."

"I get the feeling they also saw potential in you. Don't sell yourself short."

"Look who's talking about short. How tall are you? Two foot nothing?" He laughs.

Emma has always admired someone with a quick wit, someone who can make her laugh at her own situation. She can tell Niko will definitely make this an entertaining visit simply because his cynicism can outmatch her own. "Add on another three. Very funny though. So, have anyone special in your life?"

"Why? Are ye interested?" He looks over smugly.

She reaches over and pushes on his shoulder, causing him to fall to the side slightly. "Shut up. It's just a question."

"No. That's all right. Yer attracted to the puffer man and I can accept that. Happens all the time." He places his hand on hers, acting compassionate.

"You are a cocky little shit, aren't you?"

"Aye. I do whatever I can to get people riled up. It's my talent and hobby."

"And you are avoiding my question."

"Fine, nosey hole. If ye must know, I'm not. I was, but not now."

"There! See? We just shared. Feel the bond?" She spreads her arms as if looking for an embrace.

He laughs to himself. He receives the sarcasm openly because it is exactly what he would do. Torment to ease discomfort. "Aye. It's getting strong. I love to share something so personal with a chick I just met five minutes ago." He pauses. "No. I was engaged to someone until I found out I wasn't enough for her. Let's just say the movie came along at the right time because it gave me somewhere to go."

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Niko."

"Ha. Don't be. Best thing to happen since sliced bread. She was weighing me down."

"You deserve to have someone who cares for you."

"Got anyone in mind?" He looks over with the same smug look.

Emma smiles at his question for she has an answer. "In fact, I do. My friend Karine just absolutely loves you. I think she watches the movie for you alone."

"Wow. Me and my couple of lines. I feel special."

"You're a special case." Emma teases. "So what's the story on Jimmy?"

"Well, it is not my place to say, love. Just give him some time and he'll warm up to ye, should take…oh…ten or so years. He'll start to bitch at ye like he does with me. It's all good. He just has a hard time opening up. His life was a lot harder than Davy's life and mine put together. But once he can see that ye are trustworthy, he'll start bossing ye around." Niko snickers.

"I'm so glad you came here. You have no idea what it means to me to meet you three." Emma smiles, knowing there is no way for this man to truly know unless she spilled her guts about her past.

"Not at all. I've always wanted to freeze my nuts off at the North Pole. So when does Santa arrive?"

Emma can't help but laugh at his comment. "You're not that far north. And be careful the reindeer don't start nibbling on those frozen giblets." She looks up from her cup of hot chocolate and smiles with her eyes.

"Hmm. I'm rather fond of my giblets. I'd like to keep them. No playing with reindeer. They sound savage. So when do I get to meet this friend of yers?"

"She's coming home from university this week. It also happens to be her birthday the day she arrives. I'm planning a party as I do every year. We've been friends since we were five. She'll really want to meet you." She adds emphasis on her last statement to drive home the message.

Niko nods. "I'll be there with bells on. It'll scare away the reindeer."


	4. Chapter 4: Take it further

Two days have passed and tonight is the night of Karine's birthday party. At first, Niko was very casual about it all. She had told him absolutely nothing, enjoying the idea of introducing the two without knowledge of each other. But increasingly over the last few hours he had begun to question her ad nauseam.

_What does she look like? How old is she? Do ye have a picture of her? If ye were a guy, would ye date her? What is she interested in? What if she doesn't want to meet me?_

When he continued to ask these questions repeatedly, Emma turned around told him to get out of her room for he was driving her insane. He did as she commanded but brusquely reminded her it was her own fault for gaining his attention and making him wait.

Standing in the mirror, she fusses with some wayward curls that won't lay right. With her makeup done and wearing a loose flowing black satin dress that still fits nicely despite her recent weight gain, she thinks to herself that she could almost pass as attractive. The passing days have resulted in her withdrawal symptoms being decreased to a point at which she feels she can function properly and might actually have a good time tonight. She'd never admit it to him in fears of him thinking she's crazy, but she credits the relief to Davy. The thought of his leaving and the symptoms returning is not a pleasant one. Her life is so boring and lonely, how could she possibly return to the old way now that a man has blessed it with laughter and kindness?

She catches the man that teases her mind in the corner of her mirror, standing in his doorway looking perplexed. Looking at his reflection she smiles softly and speaks to it directly instead of facing him, "What are you looking at me like that for?"

He shakes his head slightly, his beard swaying a little. "Nothing. Ye look nice, 'tis all." He has not seen her like this before. Hair flowing loosely down her back with only a fraction of it tied up to keep it out of her face. _It's best not to hide those amazing eyes_, he thinks to himself. She has never worn makeup before; he finds himself inexplicably wanting to kiss those lips that are now glossed and a brighter shade of pink. Her dress ends just above the knee, showing off her legs that are surprisingly and delightfully muscular, a result of her manual labor days on farms. He swallows hard at the delicate ankle bracelet that loosely sits in place above her bare foot with the tiny rosebud toes.

"Thank you." She says quietly. "So I guess you'll be leaving soon." Busying herself with her hoop earrings, she looks away from his reflection hoping to hide any emotion that might give her away.

"Aye. Two weeks have come and gone. Too fast." He continues to stare at her reflection as he walks across the hall to her doorway.

"Yes, too fast. I'm going to miss having you around. I must admit I don't want you to leave."

He nods and rubs his thumb along the spot where the tip of his nose should be. It's not itchy; Emma knows it is something he always does when he's unable to keep something from her. He turns away and heads down the hall. Suddenly he stops and hollers back, "I guess it's a good thing I'm not leaving then." He begins laughing to himself when he hears her come running behind, her bare feet smacking on the hardwood floor.

"What?" She darts in front of him and examines his grinning face for sarcasm.

He laughs out loud. "I talked it over with the other two. I decided that for once we should spend Christmas in a permanent environment. We've never really celebrated it before and it would be nice to do so with people who care. I'm quite amazed," he says as he takes her hand in his and places it on his chest under his beard, "that your entire family has been so kind and generous to me during my stay. I've never felt so welcome anywhere before. I would like to continue enjoying it."

"You're staying for Christmas?" Emma blinks back some tears that begin to form under her eyelids. She cannot believe she is hearing these words! Have her prayers been answered?

"Yes. And we will see where it goes from there. Who knows? I may stay here a bit longer…if ye will have me."

"You are always welcome here. You are welcome to stay." She pulls her hand from his and wraps her arms around his torso and she melts to feel his arms fall around her shoulders. Hoping this moment would last forever, she breathes in the scent of his cologne and memorizes it. She allows the heat from his body to mingle with hers. How could she ever feel cold and alone again if she feels so warm and safe now?

He chuckles to himself. "Then I'll have to put a little buzzer on ye so I know where ye are at all times. That way I won't be stumbling over your little self. I've lost count as to how many times I have tripped over ye in the past few days."

Emma closes her eyes and continues smiling while blocking out the short joke. "I'm going to ignore that and focus on the fact that you want to stay."

* * *

Karine impatiently walks over to Emma after socializing with a few friends. She had been introduced to Davy and Jimmy at the beginning of the night, but this time there was no rivalry over this girl. Perhaps it was because they knew she was designated for Niko who now seemed to be missing in action. They were just as polite with her, kissing her hand and wishing her a happy birthday. Karine, being a huge fan herself, giggled and blushed at the attention given by the men who played her favorite characters.

"So…where is he?" She finally asked after blushing over a comment Jimmy whispered in her ear.

"I don't know. He's got to be around here somewhere." Emma says with a frown as she examines the crowd for the wayward man in question. "I'll go find him. Hang on."

Leaving the party, Emma heads downstairs after searching every room on the upper floor. At the top of the stairs, she can see that there is a dim light in the darkness below. Over the buzzing crowd she can hear the sound of typing. Quietly she makes her way down to him and finds him at the computer.

"There you are! Look at you, you're all dressed up and going nowhere! Come on, Karine wants to meet you."

"In a minute. Just have some email to check." He says and hurriedly opens the Internet.

"Are you hiding?" She walks over to him and folds her arms.

"No! Of course not!"

"Yes you are! You are scared to meet her."

"I am not! That's a load of crap and ye know it!" He frowns and then looks back to the computer.

"She's not that scary."

"Well, ye never told me anything about her. I know nothing of her! She could be an ax murderer for all I know!"

"Ok, you want to know about her? She's six foot seven, four hundred pounds and her real name is Bertha. Come on!" Emma grabs at his shirt but he pulls away before she can get a good grip.

"Mmm. Come and get me big mama." Niko grumbles.

"I'll hold your hand to protect you in case she bites."

"Stop patronizing me! This is hard. I'm still not over Emily and when ye have a face like this it's hard to feel comfortable around strangers."

Emma stands there in silence for a few seconds. "And the truth comes out. Niko, you just have to meet her. There are no expectations. And she is a fan and will not pass judgment. She's up there talking with Davy and Jimmy right now…"

"She is?" He looks up at her with a slight twitch which causes his cheek spines to flare slightly. A nervous reaction, it always gives him away.

"Yes. And if you don't hurry, Jimmy's going to steal her on you."

"I'm more worried about Davy doing that…" He looks away.

Emma fights the temptation to question him further on that. The idea of Davy being a player isn't exactly a match with who she has begun to know and respect. "Are you coming or not?"

"I'll be up in a second." He snaps.

* * *

"Well, where is he?" Karine asks me when Emma rejoins her and Jimmy.

"He's a little shy. But he's coming."

"Shy? Niko is not shy around the ladies." Jimmy laughs. "We taught him how to be a ladies' man."

"And you would be a ladies' man, Jimmy?" Karine turns to him and smiles widely.

"Damn straight. With a face like this, ye better have some flattering things to say. It's the only way to get a woman to stay around. It doesn't always work, but it's the only thing we have to offer. Sweet talk and the like."

Emma rolls her eyes at his comment, she notices Niko walking behind the crowd in an attempt to remain unseen. "The little bastard is still hiding. Come on Karine. We're going Niko hunting. If you will excuse us, lady killer." Emma says to Jimmy and receives a proud grin and nod.

They eventually find him sitting on the sofa in the living room, all by himself with his laptop. His fedora hat pulled down over his eyes, he's clearly hiding from his surroundings. Knowing that Niko would never let her get away with this sort of behavior without torrential torment, Emma stands in front of him and folds her arms in displeasure.

"What?" He looks up and instantly Emma sees the sunglasses.

"Niko. It is night time and we are indoors. Lose the shades."

Karine decides this is the perfect time to make an entrance. "You know. If you have the same beautiful blue eyes in real life as you do in the movie, I'd like to see them." She kneels down in front of him and smiles. When he does nothing but stare, she reaches up and removes the shades from his face. She smiles as he makes real eye contact for the first time. Emma grins and decides this is the time to leave so they can become better acquainted.

"There, that's much better. You know, I don't bite. At least not very hard." Karine says as she folds the sunglasses and places them on the table beside him.

Her comment intrigues him. "What if that's how I like it?" He watches this vixen with fiery red curls as she takes a seat next to him, her green eyes reminding him of an open field in summer. He examines the minute freckles that seem to dance on her porcelain skin, as if God himself flicked a wet paint brush at her.

She smiles, noticing the tension leaving his face. "All you have to do is say so."

* * *

The crowd clears and Emma begins to yawn. "It's late, I'm going to bed." She announces to Davy who also tries to stifle a contagious yawn.

"What about those two?" He nods in the direction of where Niko and Karine have been seated for the entire night, talking about everything there is to discuss. Not unlike the meeting between Davy and Emma almost two weeks ago.

Standing, Emma raises her voice above theirs, "we're going to bed!"

"Yeah, ye do that." Niko says, not taking his eyes off Karine.

"Night, hon." Karine says without looking either.

Feeling ignored but not bothered by it, Emma decides to leave them alone and go to bed. Davy and Jimmy follow, leaving the two of them alone for the first time.

"Wow, it's late." Karine says with a smile. "I guess I wasn't a very good guest of honor."

"On the contrary. Ye kept me well entertained. But yes, it's late." Niko smiles. "Time for bed. Are ye staying the night?"

"Yes. I had a little too much to drink so I'll crash on the couch."

"Ah! The birthday girl is toasted!" He slaps his hand down on hers playfully. "Well, it was a pleasure to meet ye. I don't think I've ever had a conversation with a girl like that before" Niko says as he stands. Looking down at her smiling face, he can't imagine a more beautiful girl than her. Her sunset orange hair had been up but now it falls down to whisk along her shoulders. A tiny thing, she's about half his size. But he had learned she is not fragile when she shared a few of her childhood stories about growing up on a cattle farm and with six older brothers.

"Yes. I'm so glad you got the courage to actually speak to me."

"Yes. Well. Sometimes I lose track of my balls. Especially around pretty ladies such as yerself." He jokes as he heads off to his room. "I'll see ye in the morning?"

"Yes. Goodnight, Niko." She says as she watches him go, focusing clumsily on a particular part of his anatomy as he walks away. Always known as the good girl, she ponders the thought that comes to her mind now. No, she couldn't. She doesn't even know him; this has to be the alcohol talking. But what other chance does she have? She is going back the day after Christmas day and she may never see him again. And think of the regret she'd have! He is the most amazing man she's met. A thousand times better than her ex-fiancé who abandoned her right before their wedding.

She stands up and heads for his room. Her stomach has butterflies, never has she done something like this. But life is about facing risks head on, taking chances to grab a hold of what you want most. And tonight, she wants Niko.

"You must get a ton of email." She jokes in his doorway when she finds him on his laptop again.

"I'm a very popular boy." He jokes. "What's up?"

"I decided I couldn't sleep." She says as she casually walks over to his bed.

"Ye decided?" He watches as she takes a seat next to him. "Ye didn't give yerself much time to try." He decides to turn music on, clicking on a folder with a particular name.

She sees this and eyes him wistfully. "You have a music folder named 'sex'?" She laughs.

He avoids her gaze. "It's got all the crappy love songs ye women like. I figure ye'd rather hear that than some of the garbage I listen to."

"You wouldn't happen to be trying to set a particular mood, now would you?" She leans back on his pillow.

"Well, yer the one that came in here claiming to be unable to sleep. I figure ye can answer that question yerself." He says as he slides the computer onto the nightstand next to him.

"You're not like anyone I've ever met, Niko."

"Ye've never met anyone with a smart ass sense of humor that had spines coming out of his face?"

She fights the urge to laugh too loud and shakes her head 'no'.

"Wow. Ye haven't been around much, have ye?"

Again she laughs, a musical trill that is now slightly louder than before. "I've been around enough." She hints. "But I'm serious. I think you are amazing. From what you've told me, your life was not only hard but rewarding. Not everyone can see their hardships as triumphs."

Not used to receiving compliments, he nods and reluctantly accepts her kind words. "Well, ye must be amazing yerself to want to hang around a guy like me."

"So there is a little extra to you. That doesn't mean I should disregard you, does it?" She places her hand gently on his spine-covered cheek.

He pulls away slightly. "Ye don't want to get stuck with one of those."

She cups her hand again. "I know you wouldn't hurt me."

His eyes gaze into hers for what seems like an eternity. He is lost in a field of green while she drowns in an ocean of blue. "It is ye who is amazing, Kay. Beautiful."

She leans in and presses her lips to his. Now she knows that this is right. He pulls away slightly, for reasons unknown to both of them.

"It's okay, Niko. We're both consenting adults. Nothing wrong with a little adult fun." She comforts him, running her fingers down the front of his shirt. She finds herself amazed and yet somewhat proud to be saying these words, "it's just sex."


	5. Chapter 5: I need a plumber

She is dressed in an elegant eighteenth century French sack back gown that seems to glow in the peaceful moonlight. The deepest of blues, it seems to only make his eyes shine brighter. A touch of his hand to the small of her back, he leads her onto the quarterdeck where the stars light the black velvet sky as if they were put there only for their enjoyment. Not a word spoken, he takes her hand in his and twirls her about to examine her tiny frame amongst the mass of fabric. She sees his face, a look of pleasure and contentment there. He stops her and holds her close to prepare for a waltz. No music plays, just the sound of waves rushing into the side of the hull. They stare at each other for what feels like an eternity, an eternity of bliss. His eyes are so full of love and she can only hope hers can return the sentiment. He leans in to kiss her and her stomach fills with butterflies. And just before the heat of his lips reach hers, a crushing pain to her side forces her from her dream.

"Dammit!" Emma swears when she realizes she's not on the deck of the _Dutchman_with Davy, she's in her bed all alone. And she's not dressed in an amazing blue satin gown; she's in her frumpy pajamas that make her butt look big.

At first, she tries to ignore it. All she wants to do is go back to sleep so she can dance around with him again. Tossing and turning doesn't seem to help much. Until one stabbing pain hits her hard. It sends her into an immediate sitting position, buckled over and grasping her lower right abdomen.

_Okay, staying in bed is unbearable_, she mumbles to herself while still clutching her side. She stumbles to her feet and wanders into the hallway. Standing up straight is impossible; she can barely catch her breath. _I'm here with the boys, but I don't want to wake them_, she thinks out of consideration. But then another invisible kick in the stomach makes her rethink that.

She fumbles her way out to the kitchen. _There has got to be some medication around here to numb the pain_, she growls as she reaches up to the top cabinet where she keeps her medicine. As she roots through tons of little bottles, a few tumble to the floor and land with a loud crash.

"Dammit!" She growls as she struggles to bend down to get them. Unable to support her weight and handle the pain, she collapses on the floor as another pain hits her.

"Emma?"

She looks up to see Davy standing in front of her, looking deeply concerned. He hurries over to her side and helps her to her feet, lifting her as if she was feather light. Placing his hands where he had them in her dream, he leads her over to the couch and kneels in front of her. Her eyes widen when she notices that his shirt is open…_bellybutton…oh crap_! She forces her eyes shut. How is she to focus on anything else other than its absolute cuteness on that rock hard stomach? _Oh, washboard…oww!_

She forces one eye open and is relieved and disappointed all at once to see that he had lowered himself enough so that perfect little navel isn't visible anymore. "I have the worst pain in my side. I think it might be my appendix." She leans back and massages her side.

"What's going on?" Niko walks into the living room - shirtless. Again Emma forces her eyes shut but not from the pain.

"Look at ye, ye are all flushed." Davy says while placing the back of his hand to her forehead. "You're not hot." He turns to address Niko who seems to be standing their waiting for a command. "She's got a pain in her side." He turns back to Emma, "may I?" Davy reaches forward slightly, hoping to examine her abdomen.

She nods. _Be my guest. If I weren't in so much pain, I'd pretend the pain was spreading elsewhere. Let your hands wander, Mr. Jones._

He presses her side, his index and middle fingers going deep into her abdomen. "Does that hurt?"

"No." She moans in between breaths that are forced out by his pressing. All she can think about is how he must be disgusted by the fat he has to poke through.

"What the hell is happening here?" Jimmy wanders out finally after all the commotion.

_Oh of course, he's shirtless too! Why not? Let's have three muscular men parade around half naked. No, that won't affect my blood pressure. Not at all. _Emma buries her face in her hand to hide her flushing.

"How about here?" Davy continues to examine.

"No."

"I don't think it is your appendix. But I do have a rather awkward question to ask ye." He asks as he focus on a particular area of her stomach.

"What?"

He looks up from lowered eyelids, slightly embarrassed to be asking her this."When was the last time ye _went_?"

Completely appalled, Emma sits up and pushes away his hand like it has violated her. "Excuse me?"

Davy's head falls, but not from shame. He's trying to hide his laughter. "I can feel tension in your lower abdomen. Hate to tell ye, but I think it is constipation. There's huge knot in your stomach." He says with an odd smile as he points to the same spot he palpated earlier.

_Oh…my…fucking…GOD! Could this get any more embarrassing? I have three half naked men in front of me and now they all know that I am backed up? Oh this is terrible! This can't get any worse! _Unable to hide it any longer, Emma can feel all the blood in her body rush to her head. Her hands instinctively cover her face.

"Ye just came off that medication. Perhaps that is why. Your body is trying to adjust." Davy continues but this time with more compassion for her embarrassment.

It is then Jimmy leaves and goes over to the pile of medication on the floor. She can tell just by the look on Niko's face that he's dying to tease her about this, but because she is in pain he remains silent while forcing a smile from forming on his lips.

"Here," Jimmy walks back in with two pills and a glass of water. "Laxatives."

_Oh hell no… A massive, muscular half naked man just handed me stool softeners. I was wrong. This __**can**__ get much worse. _She nods an embarrassed 'thank you' and takes them quickly. The faster they disappear, the quicker the pain and humiliation will end.

"Ye will have to drink plenty of fluids and perhaps refrain from eating solids for a bit." Davy says.

"Thank you, doctor." Emma grimaces more from the mortification than anything.

"Nothing worse than a problem with the plumbing." Niko finally jabs her with his words.

"Yeah…it sucks ass." She growls at him.

"And yer ass isn't even working properly." He continues with an evil grin.

Davy sends him a critical look and then turns back to face her. "Ye scared the hell out of me."

The pills Jimmy handed her must have been very powerful. Or maybe it was knowing that someone cared enough to be concerned about finding her on the floor in pain, but it is quickly causing her to relax. Suddenly the agony disappears and she quickly becomes fatigued. It soon becomes hard to keep her head up and her eyes close.

"I'm going to take her with me. If she has another episode, at least I will be with her. She may need to see a doctor if it continues."

She hears Davy says this to the other two. But the last thing she remembers is the feeling of his arms reaching around her to carry her to his bed.

* * *

A few hours later, she opens her eyes and it takes a few minutes for her to realize that she is in Davy's room. In the early morning light her eyes focus on the tentacles in front of her face, and that her arm is around his stomach. She can hear the gentle sound of his breathing; he's fast asleep with her in his protective arms.

A huge smile forms on her face and she forces herself not to say '_awwww_!' She really must have scared him for him to show so much concern. Breathing deeply, she rests her head back down on his shoulder. His body is so warm and inviting. He smells so good, remnants of his cologne and just a bit of his natural scent. She remains motionless as she watches as his chest rise and fall with every breath. Absolute and total paradise. It comforts her and she is lulled back into sleep.

The next time she wakes, the bright sun is shining directly through the window and warming the room to where her blankets are just too much cover. This time, her tentacled hero isn't with her and she must admit she finds herself disappointed by this. She had wanted to tease him and ask him jokingly if they had sex while she was doped. But the smell of bacon greets her and she decides to follow her nose.

"Ah, there she is." Niko chimes. "Ye know, I found a bottle of Liquid Plumber under the sink if ye need any."

Emma gives him the finger as a response and he laughs. She walks over to Davy who has his back to her. All she wants to do is wrap her arms around that broad masculine back and thank him with kisses. Her smile is audible in her words. "Good morning, I…"

"Here ye go." He turns and pushes a bowl of chicken noodle soup towards her. "Ye are officially on a liquid diet."

She stares at it for a while in disbelief. "Yay." She mumbles sarcastically and watches a crisp piece of bacon enter his mouth.

He sees the want in her eyes and smiles while he chews. "Mmm. It's good." He teases.

"I bet it is."

Jimmy walks past and places a glass of orange juice next to her hand. She prepares to thank him until she notices the greasy film on top. "What the hell is that?"

"Just drink it." He says.

"Umm. No. You tell me what it is first."

"It's just mineral oil. It'll help yer shitter." He says with an obnoxious snort.

Her eyes close with disgust and embarrassment. "I am in no way shape or form ever putting that to my lips." Emma turns up her nose and pushes the glass away.

Davy tosses a few laxatives her way. "Then these better become your candy."

* * *

Two days pass and nothing has changed. Emma still has the pains in her side and she is taking the pills like Davy suggested. However, Davy is starting to lose his patience and often tries to sneak the mineral oil into her liquid food.

"Like I can't see the thick sludge on my soup!" She growls at him with frustration when she sees the oil floating on top of her chicken broth.

"Ye still haven't told me how long it has been." He says as he watches her rub her side.

"And you'll never be told. That is information you do not need to know about me, Mister."

"How am I supposed to monitor ye if I don't know what is going on? And ye work with animals, why would this topic be uncomfortable for ye? Ye handle shit all the time!"

"Because I am not an animal! You are disgusting me!"

"No, I'm embarrassing ye, now get over it. Ye can get really sick ye know," he wags a disciplinary finger in her face, "I'm a man, these things don't bother me. Toilet talk is normal for the male gender. Now I'm concerned, how long has it been?"

She relents, only to get him off her back. "Almost two weeks…"

"Two weeks? Emma! That isn't healthy!"

"Ya think?" She snaps. This isn't exactly the conversation she wants to be having with the man of her desires. She's much rather he were asking her ring size instead of this!

He turns away and grabs the bottle of mineral oil. "Down it."

"Fine. If it will shut you up." She grabs the medicine cup full of slime from his hand and plugs her nose. She ignores the laughing snort he makes at the sight. The oil slides down her throat leaving a greasy feeling behind. "This better work. That was disgusting."

"Listen. If ye start shooting sludge out of yer mouth because it won't come out your ass, I'm leaving ye!"

* * *

A few more days pass by and Davy is still with her because she hasn't been shooting sludge, as he so eloquently put it. The physical pain is gone too, but the emotional torture will haunt her forever. There'll be no living this down...because they won't let her.


	6. Chapter 6: Rejection

A light dusting of snow floats over the ground as Emma and Niko walk alone in the dying evening light. Around them, the neighborhood Christmas lights begin to flicker on, creating cozy warmth despite the cool air.

The two became restless while watching an unending game of cards between Davy and Jim. Seeing the freshly falling snow, Emma suggested they head outdoors for some fresh air. Niko has never experienced snow up to this point – and is the only one of the three interested in experiencing it- so Emma takes him out whenever she can.

Over the past few days since they've met, the two have quickly developed a bond. They laugh and tease each other like a brother and sister who have been far too long separated. Something about him makes her trust him; his casual cockiness puts her at ease.

"So you and Karine really hit it off the other night?" Emma avoids his tormenting her about her recent "illness" by completely changing the subject. She dodges a loosely formed snowball sent her way because of it. She secretly watched her best friend flirting with the man she now walks with in the dark. Karine left the morning after the party, so Emma didn't get a chance to talk to her. Niko seems to trust Emma in return; so maybe she can coax some information out of him.

"Aye." He says without looking at her. "She's great. Lovely girl." He shifts uncomfortably in his bulky winter jacket and pulls ahead of her before she can examine his face.

Emma pauses in the snow and instantly reads his mind from the back of his head. "Oh my God! You slept with her!"

"Quiet, big mouth, the neighbors don't have to know!" He spins around and gives her a critical glare.

Emma claps her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. "You slept with her, you little slut!"

"Grow up." He grumbles and continues walking forward to avoid the discomfort he feels in the moment. He didn't want Emma to find out he had a moment of weakness for her best friend, particularly when he would be heading home soon and would probably never see either girl again.

"So does this mean you are an item?" Emma's shorter legs quicken the pace to reach Niko's side. She had watched for years as her friend struggled with loneliness and heartache after many failed relationships. Her adoration for Niko gives him automatic approval for him to date her best friend.

"No. We decided that it would be no strings attached. No emotional commitment and no one gets hurt."

"Oh, that's fine."

"Don't sound so heartbroken."

"I'm not, but I do think you two would make a cute couple."

"Shut it, Em."

Emma waits a few moments before continuing her taunting. "So…was it fun?"

"Okay, that's enough." He turns around on his heels and stares down at her with a look of helpless frustration.

"What? You're not willing to tell me?"

"Hell no!"

"No worries. I'll just call Kay and ask her myself."

Niko jolts to a stop as Em passes him by. "Ye wouldn't…"

Emma reaches for her cell phone and dials her friend's number. "I know she is at home with her parents today. She'll answer... it's ringing." She announces.

"Yer bluffing."

"Hello, Karine?"

"Give me that phone!" He lunges forward as she ducks out of his way.

"Hi, Kay! I'm here with Niko and he told me some interesting news…yeah! So…how was it?"

He reaches over and grabs the phone from her and puts it to his ear. Instead of hearing a dial tone like he expected, his pulse quickens and the blood drains from his face when he hears her voice. "Uh...hi."

Emma folds her arms proudly. It may be crude, but if this is what she has to do to get the two of them together, she's glad she did it.

"Yeah…uh huh…really?" He nods quickly and then looks over at the smiling girl next to him. He frowns at her smugness and then turns his back to her. In a low voice he continues. "I was actually going to call ye, but the shrimp got to ye first. So this isn't exactly how I wanted this to go." He pauses and then laughs. He looks over at Emma and smiles, "Yeah she is a pain in the ass, isn't she?"

"Very funny." Emma snickers.

"Yeah, I'd like to see ye when ye come back home for yer break. Sure. Sounds like a plan. And pick it up where we left off." He laughs. "February? Okay. I'll see what I can do, love. I'll give ye a call tonight. More privacy…no annoying little squirts!" He yells the last statement over his shoulder. "Bye."

He hands over the phone and the temptation is too great for Em to withstand. "Niko has a girlfriend!"

His middle finger instantly raises and is displayed in front of her face. "Bite me." He continues walking in a hurried pace, hoping to avoid what he knows will be an onslaught of nosy questions.  
Emma runs through the snow to catch up to him. "So? What's going on?"

"Looks like ye might be stuck with me for a while longer. She's coming home in February for her break and she'd like to get together then. So long as ye don't mind having me for a few more months." He looks over and smiles.

"Not at all!" This is exactly what she was hoping to hear. At least she will have Niko here until at least February, maybe longer. Now if only she could convince Davy to do the same. "So…are you an item now?"

"No. Still casual. No strings attached. I'm not a puppet." He laughs.

"Not yet." Emma chimes in. "Did you actually plan on calling her or did you just tell her that?"

"For yer information, yes. I planned on calling her, just on my own time…not when nosy little buttinskies want me to." He examines a patch of ice on the pavement before him and takes a running start. He smoothly glides the length of it, letting his excitement get the better of him for a slight moment.

* * *

As the days draw closer to Christmas, Emma sits back and watches the men around her. They each told her that they have never taken to celebrating Christmas, as they had no need to before. They bring such happiness to her now, with their telling of wild stories by the light of the tree and their growing excitement towards the idea of having their first "real" Christmas. Having them here with her has completely abolished her crushing loneliness.

Each man brings his own uniqueness to the group. Niko is confident and cocky, but not in a way that makes him obnoxious. He's self-assured despite his appearance, he decided many years ago that it wasn't important and didn't define who he is as a person.

Davy is definitely the leader of the three. He will ask for something only once, or the disobedient offender will get an ear full. Despite his authority, he does appear to care about their welfare. Word somehow reached him regarding Niko's one night stand with Karine, and Davy made sure to share his "fatherly" advice about being careful with Emma's friends and maybe he should consider keeping _it_in his pants for once. Niko just laughed and said he had his doubts.

Unlike his leader, Jimmy is the strong, silent type. He sits back and carefully observes everything before opening his mouth to speak. Despite the force that may be behind his words, they do contain a lot of wisdom. It has taken some time to get him to open up, but Emma is slowly starting to see a different side to this man.

Tonight, Emma is curled up on the couch next to Davy under a thick quilt. She quietly sits there sipping homemade eggnog that Jim had prepared earlier. The rich texture and sweet burn of the rum warms her from the inside out.

Davy continues to be her main focus. Sometimes she feels that maybe he likes her too, but she is too nervous to find out. This time with him has stirred a lot of emotion deep inside her. She catches the twinkle in his eye, the one that is only there when he has a hearty laugh. She is amazed by him and everything he does seems to intrigue her now. As she watches him, recanting the story of the time they survived the full brunt of a hurricane out at sea, she finds herself puzzled by the feelings building inside her.

He is ten years her senior. However, with age comes wisdom and maturity, something Emma is not used to witnessing in men her age. Would he be interested in dating someone who is an entire decade younger? Does he even see her as a potential partner, or just some young, silly girl?

And then there is the aspect of his appearance. When she looks at him, she sees a man with pure beauty radiating from the inside reaching out. He tells her that most people are quick to judge him, not willing to see the man beneath. But for some reason, she can see past it all and love what she sees.

As his story becomes grander, he becomes more animated in his motion. She smiles at his smile, soaking in the sound of his voice and the gentle swaying of his beard. Her mind trails off, deep into thought as she watches how the little lines at the corner of his eyes tend to crinkle together when he smiles. '_I love his face,' _she thinks to herself, '_I am yet to understand why. Most people will quickly tell me I am weird or it's sick to be attracted to him. But how can it be wrong to accept someone for who they are? Aren't the shallow people who reject him for his appearance the ones with the problem? Whatever happened to not judging the cover of the book? I don't know why I see such beauty in him, I just do. He tells me it is a gift to be able to be so unconditional. If anything, if anyone was to attack his appearance or my love for him, I only love him more for it.'_

'_God, he amazes me, I just want to hold him and love him. Heck, I'd tackle him to the ground right now if he'd let me, hmm, must be the eggnog kicking in. I've been fascinated with him since I first laid eyes on him, but now it seems far beyond that. I want to take it farther. I want to make him understand that it is possible to be loved when you look this way. That I would never judge him, I wouldn't dream of it. He's perfect to me, in every way. God doesn't make mistakes. He made a work of art when it comes to him.'_

* * *

Feeling a little tipsy after one too many an eggnog, Emma makes her way toward her bedroom. She stops by his door to see him preparing for bed. Calmly, yet boldly, she waltzes over to his bed and sprawls out over the sheets. He looks down and smiles at her, pleasantly surprised by her boldness.

"Ye know, I will need to get in there soon." He tugs on the blankets that she blocks.

"I just wanted to say goodnight. And thank you."

"Thank me? For what, love?"

"For being you."

He laughs slightly as he turns off the light. "I think ye had a wee bit too much of the eggnog, love."

"I'm serious."

He walks around the bed and stands in front of her. "Time for bed."

"I want to stay here." She suggests playfully.

"No, Em. Alcohol puts foolish thoughts in one's head. And ye are being plenty foolish right now."

"I'm not being foolish." She watches his shadowed form as he takes a seat on the bed next to her. He takes her hand in his, and even through the dark, she can feel his gaze upon her.

"Don't make decisions based on a whim, especially when that whim is based upon substance. I wouldn't want ye to regret your decisions."

"I would never regret you."

He looks away and smiles. "Ye say that now, but when ye wake up with your full senses in the morning, ye will be singing a different tune."

"I understand what this is about. You are too hard on yourself." She squeezes the thick hand within her palm, hoping he will understand her reason for wanting to be with him.

"No, I see this for what it is. And I will not take advantage of ye in this state."

"How would you be taking advantage of me if I am offering?" She clumsily turns to place her head in his lap.

"No, Em."

"You're lucky I'm loaded or that rejection would hurt me." She scoffs as a yawn escapes her mouth.

He sighs heavily to himself. "I just know how it would turn out."

"You're too hard on yourself…" She trails off as she falls asleep in his tender grasp.

For a few minutes, he sits there lost in contemplation. He's unsure what to do with her and how to deal with the thoughts running through his head. Here is this young girl, a girl who accepts him for who he is, the same girl he has been warding off developing feelings for, and he can't find the courage to be with her. '_This one is different, she's not some whore in a shipyard that you can use and turn away from,'_ he thinks to himself bitterly, '_this is Emma. She is special, ye can't hurt her.'_

Davy looks over at the door where Jimmy now stands, shaking his head.

"Yer losing yer touch." He says in a low voice.

"She is intoxicated. That would be taking advantage of her." Davy hisses angrily in a low voice.

"Last time I checked it took intoxication to get any woman interested in us, mate. And ye just turned one away. One that accepts ye for who ye are, without the alcohol."

"Mind your damn business. I respect her too much. That and she's too young."

Jimmy shakes his head. "Excuses, excuses. Me thinks there is more to it than that. I think ye are afraid of dealing with a woman who actually wants ye. Ye are far too used to being rejected." He says as he heads towards his room. "Shame ye will miss out on an opportunity such as this."

Ever stubborn, Davy lets the words of his comrade bounce off his thick skin. He knows Jimmy is right, but refuses to accept it as reality. He begins the emotional torment he has abused himself with for many years. In his soul, he feels that no one could ever accept him for who he is. No one could ever love him, not even this one who claims to do just that.


	7. Chapter 7: Welcome Home

Emma stands in the kitchen window watching as thick, fluffy snowflakes begin to fall in the morning light. She takes a sip of coffee and lets out a sigh. At first, she wasn't bothered by Davy rejecting her advances last night. But now that self doubting voice is speaking loudly in her ear. She checks it mentally, informing it and herself that he is a gentleman and would not take advantage of a woman who was clearly under the influence.

She adjusts the height of her turtleneck so that the back of her neck is bathed in warmth. How will she face him this morning? Will it be awkward between them now when things were so smooth? Her cheeks flush with embarrassment knowing that it would be her own fault.

"Mornin'."

Emma turns to the sound of Jimmy's voice, glad that it is the Bosun and not his superior. He busies himself with making a fresh pot of coffee after he's poured his own cup, something he's done every morning since he arrived.

"Good morning, Jim. You know, the Captain wouldn't die if he had an old cup of coffee."

Jim's icy blue eyes dart over in her direction and then back to his work. He smiles to himself at her tone, somehow sensing her frustration has something to do with last night. "'Tis a force of habit, love. As a chef, it was my responsibility to have a fresh brew on the go."

Emma takes a seat at the dining room table and opens the newspaper with no intention of reading it. "You're not on duty here, is all I'm saying."

"Always on duty, love. I know no other way." He turns to look out the window and an expletive escapes his snaggle-toothed mouth. "Must it always snow here?"

"It's December and it's Christmas, it wouldn't be the same without it." Emma looks up from the paper and smiles as her friend takes a seat next to her. When Jim first arrived, he was quiet and unwilling to open up to Emma. But as she continued to gently press him for information on his life, he gradually began to feel comfortable speaking with her. He treats her differently than the two men that share his company. He is always polite and kind to Emma, studious and doting with Davy, while only serving his wrath on Niko.

He snickers now as he playfully slaps his hand down on top of hers. "So, do ye want some more of my eggnog?"

Emma's stomach churns with the thought. "Not just yet. I'm still trying to get sober off the last batch, thank you."

"Ah, yes. Ye were wrecked."

"Yeah, I know."

"Three sheets to the wind."

"Uh-huh."

"Drunk off yer ass with Captain Morgan."

"I get the point, Jim."

He pauses to examine the expression on her face. "I suppose ye would have preferred to sail with a different Captain last night."

His comment catches her off guard. "Huh?"

He laughs softly to himself. "I may not be the smartest man going, but I am very observant. 'Tis rather obvious ye have a soft spot for the Captain."

Emma looks away from his searching eyes. "Maybe…"

"There is no hiding it, love."

Emma's frustration boils over. "Then why can't he see it?"

"Maybe he can, I think he feels it is inappropriate."

"Ah, so he does see me as a kid."

Jim laughs again. "Aye. The Captain thinks ye are young. But, from what I can see, that is not what holds him back."

"Do you mind filling me in before I go insane, please?"

"Ye've got it bad, love." He pauses to sip his coffee. "Well. I am not sure how much he's told ye about his past."

"Just that he was abandoned at birth." Emma states. "And that he had a hard childhood until he met you and your father."

Emma recalls the first night they met when Davy told her about his past. About being abandoned at birth, running away from the orphanage to escape the daily torment from the other children because they couldn't understand or accept his appearance, and how he stumbled upon a man down at the docks who took him in. Samuel Jones, an elderly freight captain, took pity on the boy who obviously and amazingly enough had the same disease. Davy had informed her about this disease, Piciformes Facial Dysplasia, and how hard it was to grow up looking so vastly different from everyone else.

"Aye," Jim nods in the direction of the Captain's room. "That has a lot to do with how he is today. But it does surprise me he is being so polite with ye. It may not be incredibly obvious to ye now, little miss, the Captain is quite the lady's man."

"I can see that, though he certainly isn't that way with me."

"He respects ye, that's why. He usually tiptoes around women at first but once he becomes comfortable, he flirts and compliments until he gets his way. But he ain't going to do that with ye, he doesn't see ye as an object to obtain."

Emma snickers to herself. Funny how she's always wanted a man to treat her with respect, but now that she has one doing just that, he wants nothing to do with her!

Jim continues. "See, before ye came along, he was quite smitten with a woman named Evelyn, for ten years now, actually." He looks over and sees the increasingly saddened expression on Emma's face. "Ah, but that doesn't mean they are together now, there's no devotion between the two. She's a married woman. Wealthy as can be. Personally, I feel she is using the Cap'n for self-gratification. He deserves much better." He looks up from his cup and smiles his toothy grin at Emma.

"Clearly, he doesn't want better."

"Nay. He's just not used to receiving better. I guess ye could say he is in shock because ye treat him so well." He stands and takes a few empty plates from the night before over to the sink. He walks back over and places his heavy hand on her shoulder. "Give it time, love. He'll come around."

* * *

"I'm bored. Entertain me, woman."

Emma laughs aloud at Davy's announcement upon entering the living room. The crooked smile on his face informs her that he is being his playful, sarcastic self. She cannot help but be charmed by his cocky sense of humor.

"Come sit with me then." She offers him a seat on the couch behind her while she sits in front of it on the floor. After speaking with Jimmy this morning, she was capable of getting over her embarrassment, and when Davy arose shortly after, she acted as if nothing ever happened between them. Secretly she hoped he would think she was too inebriated last night to recall what she requested.

"Working on that story ye be writing about me?" Davy glances over her shoulder to catch a few written words in her journal. He smiles at the sight of seeing his own name in her handwriting.

Emma slams the book shut. "Not anymore, nosy."

"Not fair. Ye are writing about me and I cannot read it. What if ye are writing something nasty?" He reaches over and pokes her shoulder with his thick index finger.

"Yes, I'm just absolutely trashing you." She laughs over her shoulder "Eventually I will let you read it, when I'm ready."

"Ye are sharing it with the world and the main character cannot indulge!" He gently grabs a bit of her curly hair and flicks it in her face trying to aggravate her. "So what is happening to me at this very moment in your little fantasy?" He leans back into the plush cushions of the couch, preparing himself for a comfortable session of torment. He watches as the book is reopened but kept out of his reading range.

"You're getting laid."

"What?" Davy jumps forward.

"Kidding. You're bitching about something. I'm keeping you close to your true character." Emma mumbles sarcastically.

"Very funny." He remains quiet for a few moments before speaking again, "So I got ye something for Christmas."

Emma closes the book again and turns to face him. "You shouldn't have. _You _are my Christmas gift."

"I felt it was appropriate, ye know, for your hospitality over the past few weeks. I've never really celebrated Christmas; it is nice to have the chance to do it now."

"Yes, Jim was telling me you normally just worked through it. But that's not happening here. You have friends now who want you to have a wonderful Christmas."

He lifts off the couch and takes a seat next to her on the floor. "Em. The past few weeks have been incredible. I feel like I've known ye my entire life." He says with a smile.

"I feel the same way." Emma's heart begins to beat faster.

"I feel like I can trust ye with anything. So to show ye my gratitude for your unconditional _friendship_, I got ye this." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a little box.

Emma's heart slows; he used that word, "friendship". She smiles at the present, which is neatly wrapped. "Had that professionally wrapped, did you?"

"Ye know it, smart ass. Merry Christmas." He hands over the box.

"I still think you shouldn't have done this," she says with a smile as she begins to peel open the paper. Inside, a silver heart-shaped locket on a delicate chain sits proudly on a black velvet background. It reflects a dazzling glow from the surrounding Christmas lights. She looks up to see him smiling down at her, "it's beautiful, Davy, thank you."

"Turn it over." He points to the pendant.

On the back, he had something inscribed, _To Emma Grace. Merry Christmas, from Davy_. "You are so sweet. Thank you, Davy, I love it." She reaches over and wraps her arms around his neck while fighting the urge to kiss his cheek.

When she pulls away, he reaches for the locket. "May I?"

He holds the two ends of the chain up to place it on her neck. He watches her hand sweep away the thick curls from the back of her neck and finds himself pleased to see the bare skin there. Her neck appears thin and feminine, her creamy skin appealing.

His fingers gently brush against her neck, sending exotic chills through her skin. He then traces his hand along the length of her back, to let her know the necklace is secured. Her skin burns with the movement of his fingertips.

Emma clears her throat and tries to avoid the excitement building inside her from his touch. "Seeing since we are being so generous, I have something for you." She stands and walks down the hall to her room. "I was going to wait to give it to you Christmas morning, but I'll give it to you now. I hope you like it." Upon returning and sitting before him, she smiles and hands him a small box wrapped in a bow.

"I'm sure I will."

Emma watches his face for his reaction. "A pocket watch. See, it has a galleon on it, and underneath is your initials. I remember you telling me that you always had your eye on Sam's pocket watch when you were little and when he died you couldn't find it. This can't replace it, but I hope it will remind you of him…of us."

He nods silently while running his thumb over his initials. "Em, this means a lot to me. Ye have no idea." He cannot recall telling her about the pocket watch, but the simple fact that she remembered and understood how much it meant to him is enough to overwhelm him now. He remains speechless with the watch cradled in his palm as he contemplates the loving generosity of the girl in front of him.

She examines his face for what he might be thinking. She can see that the gift means a great deal to him, just by the way he stares at it now. "Davy, please don't leave after Christmas. I can't imagine not having you here."

He looks up from the watch and stares blankly at her for a few seconds. "Actually that is something I have been meaning to discuss with ye, especially now after such a generous gift. This is the first time I have ever felt welcomed anywhere. I've become attached to the people here, mostly yourself. This place feels like home to me. I've never had a home."

Emma shifts with excitement. "You want to stay?"

"So long as ye will have us." He smiles.

"Davy. The three of you mean so much to me," she pauses and then continues, "Especially you. I'd love it if you stayed."

"So for the first time in my life, I would have a home? Huh…" He mutters in disbelief.

Emma leans in and rests her head on his shoulder. "Yes, hun. Welcome home."


	8. Chapter 8: Man cold

Christmas comes and goes as it does every year. The lights come down and the neighborhood is enveloped in a world of wintery darkness. The happiness dulls, the laughter calms, and good will toward men starts to fade. The world forgets to focus on family and the spirit of giving and goes back to its regular self-indulgent ways.

But this winter seems slightly different to Emma; she shares the cold with warm company. Her evenings are filled with tall tales and lessons on pirates of the past, hot meals originating from exotic places her companions have traveled, and the occasional smart-assed quip from Niko. Her roommates have become a joy in her life, not only do they provide company, but they took it upon themselves to start paying for rent and groceries, making life a little easier on Emma's meager salary.

There is so much that Emma wants to show her new friends now that they've decided to remain with her for a few more months. Her island home is filled with rugged beauty and vast shorelines. Niko is the only one who is willing to go out in public, while it remains a struggle to get Davy out, and Jimmy absolutely refuses.

"Best not to be out there exposing yerself to greater harm and mockery." Jimmy says sternly. The older men prefer to avoid the stares and the whispers. So to break up the time, Emma takes them for long drives in the country and walks along winter abandoned beaches so they can get a taste of the outdoors. At least once a week, she braves the bitter cold to take them to the sea. They've lived on the water their entire lives, and the ocean calls to them. Despite the cold, they enjoy the waves and sand amongst the snow.

Emma watches Davy as he stands near a stranded ice clamper, gazing out over the dull blue horizon. The day is rather warm and he stands tall, instead of in a hunch to desperately conserve his body heat. Walking over she wraps her arm around his. He glances down at her with a smile and then looks back out.

"You miss the ocean." Emma states matter-of-factly.

"Aye."

"Why did you leave?"

"Oh." He takes in a deep, contemplative breath. "It was my time." He says, his mind lost on the waves that tease him, taking him back to an earlier time in his life.

Twenty-two years ago, Ol' Sam passed away at the age of ninety-three. He worked everyday right up until the last four, Davy had informed Emma one night. On his deathbed, Sam appointed Davy to be the captain of his ship. It was much to Davy's dismay, feeling that it was Jimmy's place because he was there first. But neither Sam nor Jimmy would hear of it. Jimmy felt Davy was more suitable as a captain, having the social personality for the job.

It was a few weeks after Sam's passing that they received the news that the man that had raised them for all those years was actually stinking rich! Two accounts had been set up with a vast sum of money left in each of their names.

"Did ye have any idea he was rich?" Jimmy asked Davy the day they found out.

"Nay! Where the hell did it all come from?"

They pondered this on their way to check out if it was a joke. Sam loved to torment them, claiming the two boys were too serious about life. If it were a joke, this would be the best practical joke he'd ever accomplished. And he would do it while dead! Upon exiting the bank, shaking their heads in disbelief, they realize that this was no joke. A note had been left for them, from Sam himself. _Do onto others, boys,_was the simple inscription.

"What the hell does that mean?" Jimmy snaps, dissecting the note as if his eyes were scalpels.

"How should I know? The man was always a complete mystery." Davy says as he starts heading back to the ship - his ship.

Jimmy looks up from the hand written statement and notices that his new captain has stopped and is staring at something in a dark corner. "Sir, what is it?" Respecting tradition and proprieties, Jimmy had not called Davy by first name since the day he was appointed his captain.

Davy nods in the direction he is staring. "I think Ol' Sam is sending us the answer to his note."

Jimmy walks over and rounds the corner of the building where Davy stands. Lying on the ground, curled up in a tight ball, a little boy lay sleeping in a scruffy mess. On his right cheek, noticeable spines protrude.

"That boy has what we have." Jimmy mumbles, his fangs exposed between his lips as he speaks. "Where be his parents?" He looks around in an attempt to find the responsible party, and finds no one.

"Probably where ours are, Jim, nowhere to be found. The boy is clearly alone. Look at him. Starving and dirty as a stray dog."

"And what are we to do? He's not our responsibility…"

Davy quickly grabs the note from Jimmy's hand and waves it superstitiously in his face. "'Tis a sign! Do onto others!" He leaves Jimmy's side and kneels before the child.

"Yer only going to frighten the lad." Jimmy frowns.

Gently nudging the child, Davy stirs the boy from his sleep. Slowly he rises, his blue eyes quickly focusing on the stranger in front of him. Feeling a sense of responsibility, Davy asks, "Son. Where are your folks?"

The little boy rubs his eyes, still in a groggy state. "I have no folks as ye call them. Who the hell are ye?"

The boy's language startles Davy and causes Jimmy to laugh. "A boy after me own heart!" Jim announces to his captain.

"I am the captain of that there ship. Captain Davy Jones." Davy points to the ship that was left to him, the _Genesis_. "And I happen to be in need of a cabin boy. What say you…?" He trails off, not knowing the child's name.

"Nikolas."

"What say you then, young Niko?" Davy extends his hand to seal the deal.

"Will I get food?" Niko looks at him with suspicion, unwilling to say yes until he knows.

"Aye, lad. For in exchange of service, of course. A life at sea is a hard one."

"Can't be any worse than this dump." Niko grumbles and climbs to his bare feet.

"And this is Jimmy. He's rather cranky so ye'll have to watch him." Davy says jokingly as he walks Niko up to the bosun. Jimmy shoots him an incensed glare.

"Are ye sure ye want to be involved with the likes of us? Aren't ye scared?" Jimmy asks the normal question. Children usually flee the simple sight of him.

"No. Ye don't scare me!" Niko looks up at the massive man through sleep filled eyes.

Jimmy shakes his head and smiles. "Bah! Just don't get under foot. Ye become a pain in the ass and yer going overboard."

Twenty-two years later, the three of them remain friends, though Davy now looks to Niko as his son. After all that time, Davy is still in charge, Jimmy is still cranky and Niko is doing exactly what he was warned not to do. He hurls a snowball in Jimmy's direction and it whacks him on the back of the head.

"Bulls eye!" Niko does a victory dance.

"Ye son of a bitch, yer DEAD!" Jimmy hollers viciously.

Davy and Emma turn from the serene setting they'd been admiring and watch as Jimmy catches Niko and begins pummeling him with his heavy fists.

Davy shakes his head in disgust. "Jim, why must ye give in to his torment every time? Ye respond exactly how he wants ye to! I'm not taking him to the hospital if ye beat the living snot out of him."

Emma smiles at the sight of Niko laughing heartily despite the blows. "It can't be bothering him too much. But be gentle, Jimmy, Niko has an important night ahead of him."

* * *

Upon arriving home, Davy's demeanor quickly changes from content to grouchy. He complains of a sore throat and stuffy nose.

"I'm mnot happy!" He growls as he throws himself down on the couch with a serious case of "man-cold". Six feet tall, over two hundred pounds, built to weather the roughest seas, he has now been reduced to a grumbling lump on the couch. He spent the majority of his life in the warm Caribbean, rarely coming in contact with anyone other than his crew, he's never had a serious cold and seems to be perplexed by this rotten experience.

"How can someting invidible be so ebil?" He refers to the virus that has suddenly plagued him, while struggling to form words with his stuffy nasal passages.

Emma reaches for the box of tissues and hands it to him. He glares at her as if he blames her for his predicament. Davy's lacking of a nose doesn't make it any easier. Clearing his siphon takes a lot more effort and he only ends up clogging himself worse. Emma giggles at the sight of seeing him blow his 'nose' from the side of his face.

He watches as Jim removes supper from the oven. "I can't smbell anytin!" Davy has decided to announce his agony to the world. Everyone within earshot must know of his misery.

"I know, Davy. But you'll survive without your sense of smell." Emma offers him a pack of cough drops next. "Here, these should help your throat."

Davy takes offense to her first comment. "I mbay not! And den how would ye feel?"

"Relieved for the quiet." Jim announces from the kitchen.

Seeing the glare he shoots his subordinate, Emma cups her hand over his cheek and directs his eyes to meet hers instead. "Just relax and take it easy. You won't feel any better by getting riled up." She watches as he tosses another violated tissue to the floor.

"Where's my bloody chicken 'oodle soup?" He bellows in the direction of the kitchen.

"Coming up, yer highness…" Jimmy growls in a low voice but still audible to Davy.

"That's it! I concede defeat! I had t'ought dat if I ignoh it, it would go abway." He mumbles with his eyes closed.

"Yeah, it's time you abandoned that tactic, honey. It's clearly not working for you." She places the back of her hand on his forehead, which is burning hot. "If you are having chills, you may have a fever, which means you may have the flu." Emma reaches for the thermometer on the table next to them. "Open wide."

"And where are ye planning on shoving dat?"

"I said open wide, not bend over." She turns to Niko coming down the hall and bursts out laughing to see him wearing a medical facial mask from her medicine cabinet. "You're pathetic!"

"Hey, my lady is coming home tonight and I have to be at my best. I am not getting sick!" The mask muffles Niko's voice.

He has spent the past two months corresponding with Karine over the phone and computer and they are both looking forward to spending her reading break from university together. Despite their frequent communication, often multiple times a day, they claim that it is still a casual relationship.

"Ye realize ye have been around him before this, chances are ye were exposed to it too." Jimmy says as he enters the room with the bowl of steaming, home made soup. "Chances are ye are probably swimming in germs, very sexy for the young lady." He sends Niko a toothy, sarcastic smile.

Niko looks down and examines the invisible pathogens on his clothes, a deep rust colored sport coat that appears to be new. "Nah!"

"Oh yes." Emma decides to join in on harassing him. "You're most likely swarming with them. And Karine is coming back from university, a dorm, which means she's probably covered in them too."

"Shut it, girl!" Removing the mask from his face, he spins around and heads for the bathroom. "Ye aren't going to ruin this for me! I haven't been laid in over two months!"

"Which explains why ye have been so moody." Jimmy scoffs.

Niko turns around. "Yeah? Well it must be about a decade for ye, maybe that explains why ye are such an asshole all the time!"

"What are you doing?" Emma asks Niko as she takes the bowl from Jimmy.

"I am getting a shower!"

"You just had one!"

"I need another one now! And I am going to go burn all my clothes." He growls and slams the door.

"I should go lick 'im." Davy jokes as Emma removes the thermometer from his mouth. "But I'm sick enough and I'm sure he'd taste bad."

Davy has warned Niko countless times to behave himself since meeting Kay. He frowns on the idea of him having a relationship with Emma's best friend, especially if their relationship turns sour. He stated firmly that he did not want to become a referee and risk having to leave his new home.

Emma cleans the thermometer tip with alcohol before placing back in its case. "You have an elevated temperature. I'll have to watch you closely now."

Davy gives a half snort, his clogged nostrils not allowing him his characteristic sound. "What good will dat do? Dat won't kill dis virus of agony!" He takes a spoonful of soup and places it in his mouth. The frown on his face only deepens. "I cannot daste my soup! It might as well be wah-der!"

"Trust me. It will help. Nothing cures like chicken noodle soup." She pats his hand for encouragement. "You just rest while I get you more cold meds."

"Bah." Davy pouts angrily and watches her leave the room. He signals to the Bosun. "Make sure dat boy doesn't screw tings up for us!"


	9. Chapter 9: Once more for the road

He waits in the cold night, looking up at the stars that flicker in the sky. His breath instantly becomes vapor and disappears into the blackness above. At first, this phenomenon would intrigue him, living in the warmth of the Caribbean his entire life. Now when he sees it, it just means it is cold outside. The snow crunches beneath his boots as he shifts impatiently, the air is motionless around him. The only sound he hears is the beating of his own heart.

Despite the cold, he's more than happy to be here. For the first time he feels like he has a home. He has family and friends now, so he is willing to freeze in winter's grasp. He's always had the Captain to look up to, and Jimmy, well, is always there to crack him upside the head if he messes up. But these new faces, particularly the one he yearns to gaze upon now, are refreshing and welcomed. It's nice to have other people in his life, other than his two curmudgeon caretakers.

His heart starts to race as he looks down at his watch. Karine should be here soon. She's had a long journey to meet him here tonight. She'll probably be too tired to do anything but sleep. Tonight she can rest, but the remainder of the week will be a different story.

He rented a private cottage tucked away in the snow covered forest. There's no way he's allowing the other two to tease her relentlessly for sleeping with him. So here he stands, in the middle of the wilderness, freezing his ass off on the porch. Cars rarely pass by on the pothole-ridden road, and when headlights become visible in the distant, his heart paces a little faster. Twenty cars must have gone by now, leaving him sighing with impatience as every vehicle passed by.

Another set of headlights catches his attention as they cast an eerie glow on the snow covered pine trees. He tells himself not to get excited, to realize it is just another car. The car slows down and signals to turn into the drive.

"Oh shit, it's her!" He blurts out to himself and hurriedly starts towards Karine's approaching vehicle. He stops in his tracks and reconsiders his approach. _Don't want to seem desperate…_

He stands by and smiles as she parks the car. Feeling awkward in his thick winter jacket, he feels like a child with a present. He's hiding his instinct to just pounce on her the minute the car door opens. He hasn't seen her face or touched her body in months. The sound of her voice over the phone was his only contact.

"Hi, baby!" She exclaims as he opens the car door for her. They wrap their arms tightly around one another, soaking in each others warmth. "I'm so glad to be here." She kisses his cheek, gradually making her way to his lips. Once there, she lingers and passionately kisses him. She's wanted to do this for so long now. The warmth and softness of his lips is powerful and inviting.

"Mmm...umm…"He pulls away from her lips and smiles. "Shall we continue this inside? I can't feel anything below my waist."

"That's not good," she pauses and flashes him a naughty smile in the darkness, "for me." She leaves the warmth of his embrace and heads toward the cabin.

Niko stands there with a smirk on his face, impressed by her innuendo. He looks back at the open car door. "Don't ye need yer bags?"

She stands in front of the door and gives a suggestive smile. She reaches into her coat pocket and pulls out a toothbrush. "This is all I will need tonight."

The car door slams shut. "Damn girl. Where have ye been all my life?" Joining her at the door, he says, "Hope ye like it."

The door slowly swings open to expose a room lit with dim candlelight. A fire crackles in a stone fireplace, creating pleasant warmth in the room. There's a fresh hint of the evergreen forest that surrounds the cabin, the smell of spruce present in the air. A balcony made of shale stone and pine logs is the entrance to the bedroom; a slate stairway leads towards eventual ecstasy. Her eyes are fixed on this beauty. He certainly went out of his way to be romantic. The chill of his skin surprises her as he leans in and begins kissing her neck tenderly.

"Oh, Niko. It's perfect."

"Not yet." He walks over to the bar and presses a button on a remote control. Romantic music begins playing on a stereo. "Now it is perfect." Walking back over to her, he takes her in his arms and they begin to dance slowly in place.

She removes her hand from his entwined fingers and places her arms around his neck. "This is the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me. No guy has ever been so genuinely kind and thoughtful before."

"Then ye've been with the wrong guys. I only give the best that I have." He fights an evil thought but loses in the end. "If ye are impressed now, ye should be quite happy with what comes later."

"You're so naughty." She has become accustomed to his flirtatious nature. It means nothing and yet everything at the same time.

"That's what ye like about me, as I recall."

She laughs to herself and then examines the room again. "How long did it take you to light all these candles? Every free surface seems to be covered with them."

"Don't ask." He shows her the tips of his fingers, which look flushed at the tips. "Did ye know that fire is hot?"

"You burnt yourself?" She takes his hand and cups it in hers like she would with a small child.

"Again. Only for ye."

* * *

She wakes first, the newly fallen snow reflecting the early morning sunlight into the bedroom. She closes her eyes again and takes in a deep, purposeful breath as she realizes he is curled into her back. His breath is soft and tantalizes the back of her neck. Her mind drifts back to the events of last night. How he led her up the stairs to the bed and gently placed her beneath him. Completely alone, only the walls were witness to what happened next. It was like no one else on Earth mattered, she was the only reason for his existence last night. No one has ever made her feel so special.

Still amazed by his thoughtfulness, a smile appears on her face when she thinks of all the candles that he so carefully placed. She imagines him lighting them, swearing on occasion as one bites back. It makes her laugh with sympathy for his plight. He's a sailor, swearing is his expertise.

"What are ye laughing at so early in the morning?" He mumbles.

"Oh, I woke you. I'm sorry." She kisses his hand as his finger traces her chin to her lips. "This was a wonderful idea. Who knew a sailor could be so romantic?" She teases.

"Ah yes. When I'm not treating rope burns and removing splinters from my water soaked flesh, I spend time thinking about the best ways to romance the ladies." He laughs at her deliberate stereotype. "And what about ye, missy? Everyone told me that ye are a good girl. There was no evidence of that last night."

She giggles at the thought of everyone's perception of her, raised a good girl, singing in the church choir every Sunday. "Clearly anyone who would say that about me has never slept with me. I'm a lady in the streets, but a freak in between the sheets."

Her comment makes him burst out laughing. "That's the best kind of lady." His lips press against the sweetness of her small shoulder.

"So what's for breakfast?" She asks.

"Oh, shit…"

"What?"

"I forgot the food!" He slaps his hand to his forehead. In his excitement to get the cabin ready, he had rushed out the door with the food still in the fridge.

"Are you kidding me? You did all this, with the candles and stuff...and you forgot to feed us?" She laughs as she feels him shrug. "I guess we'll have to go back to my parents' house."

"No! No parents. No. Not after what we did last night."

"Well, then we have to go back to Emma Grace's."

He sighs. "Do we have to? You know they are going to look at us funny and pummel ye with questions."

"Yes. And Emma is going to want to know every detail."

"Can't we just go hungry?" He buries his face into the gentle curve between her shoulders, breathing in her scent while there.

"No, we need sustenance if we want this week to continue."

* * *

The Captain has made a miraculous recovery from his bout with the common cold. Three tissue boxes later, he exclaims how wonderful it is to breathe normally again. His reluctance to see a doctor brings up an important issue that Emma feels she must discuss with him.

"When was the last time you saw a doctor?" She asks nonchalantly as she washes the morning dishes.

"I don't know. I cannot remember."

"You can't remember when you last saw a doctor? That means it has been a while. What did you do on the ship when you hurt yourself?"

Jimmy walks in with more plates that he scrounged up from the basement. "He's the Capt'n. He didn't do enough work to hurt himself." He receives a cold glare and laughs as he exits the kitchen.

"Shithead over there was the stand-in surgeon, for stitches and the like." Jones growls.

"That's fine. But this means that you haven't been having regular checkups, ever. And it also means that you haven't been getting important tests." She turns away to dry her hands, reaching for her elastic she tames her auburn curls into a ponytail.

"Such as?" He reaches for a dish to start drying, eyeing her cautiously.

"Like a prostate exam."

"Ugh." He closes his eyes and bends forward as if the uncomfortable thought causes him pain, he places the plate on the kitchen counter in fears of dropping it. "What in God's name makes ye assume this is an appropriate conversation for us to have?"

"Because I'm your friend and I care about you. That is a very important test for a man your age. Also, do you not recall having an uncomfortable conversation with me about my bodily functions? I'm allowed to ask you just because of that! Don't tell me you've never had one."

"Ye have not known me long enough to be discussing someone sticking their finger up my ass!" He says as his face contorts into a crooked frown.

"Ever hear of prostate cancer?" She turns and places her hands on her hips.

"Ever hear of minding your own business?" He snorts as his icy blue eyes flare with heat.

She continues on washing a plate, avoiding his stare. "I'm just saying. I mean, I get stuff shoved up my…"

His hand snaps up in front of her face, it stifles her immediately. "Okay, that's ENOUGH! But ye fail to realize that **that** particular part of **your** anatomy is designed for receiving. MY anatomy, that we are discussing, in general, considering my heterosexuality, is **not **designed for such purposes." He stares down in disgust to watch her laugh at his vulgar comment. He then looks out the window and sees his chance to escape her lecture. "Oh look, it's the boy and his lady."

"Oh!" Emma exclaims aloud and drops a plate back into the sink. She hurriedly dries her hands on the towel Davy still holds and then darts toward the foyer.

"Where are ye going?" Davy calls after her, confused but glad his diversion was so effective.

"I want all the details!"

"Oh, Emma! Leave them be."

"Yeah, right. If my best friend had sex, I want to know about it!" She hovers in the doorway as her friend enters the house. "Details. I want details." She whispers and takes Kay' hand to lead her away.

"Vulture!" Niko calls out to Emma.

Kay laughs as she looks back at Niko and gives him a look of 'I told you she would want to know'. Emma continues to pull her friend towards her bedroom and promptly closes the door behind them.

"Alright, girl. I tell you everything. Now it's your turn." Emma folds her arms in expectation as she flops down on the bed.

Unable to hold it in any longer, a smile beams upon her face as she heaves a heavy sigh. "Oh, Em! It was the best night of my life!" She says as she pulls out a teddy bear from under her coat. Emma recognizes it as she helped Niko pick it out yesterday. Kay presses her nose into its plush fur, and with eyes closed says softly, "I can smell his cologne on it."

"That was my idea. I told him to spray a bit of his cologne on it before he left. That way when you go back to university you can get your jollies off the bear." Emma says jokingly, while knowing that having his scent would be a comfort for Kay while she is away from him. "And you said the first night you slept with him was the best night of your life."

"I can barely remember it. I was drunk." She says, slightly blushing. "But I wasn't last night! When I think about it, I'm really glad I took that chance that night. He is such an amazing guy, so sweet and funny." She hugs the bear as if it were Niko himself.

"Yes, I was shocked when you told me. It's definitely not something you normally do." Emma has known Kay since they were little girls, and Karine has always been the typical girl next door type. It wasn't until she moved away to university for her degree in nursing that she caught a taste of freedom and independence. Instead of hiding in the corner she now socializes and enjoys herself. She had said to Emma after the first night with Niko that she wasn't getting any younger, that life is meant to be lived and she was glad to come out of her shell. If she hadn't, she may never have gotten this chance. And she was grateful to have that chance with Niko.

"It's the new me. Not afraid of taking that risk, or the price to pay in the end…so long as I am responsible, which I was. But if I hadn't done it, I would have gone back to university, kicking myself in the butt. And now I have this terrific guy." She inhales the bear's scent again. "It goes against everything I've ever been taught, but he's so worth it. I know they say one night stands don't create relationships, but here we are. Em, I'm so happy."

Emma smiles at knowing this. All she has ever wanted was for her best friend to find happiness in her life. "So what does this mean? Are you two dating now?"

"I'm not sure what we are at this point. I'd be lying if I said I didn't care for him. He may not feel the same way about me."

Emma laughs at her innocent uncertainty. "Oh, please. That guy never shuts up about you. He's crazy about you, Kay. If we talk nowadays, chances are it's about you."

She absorbs this new information and sighs. "You know, it is much easier to go into this without expectations. After having my heart broken the last time, I thought I'd never get over it. All the dreams we built together were shattered. This way, I'm just having fun getting to know him better."

"Exactly. You deserve to have fun after what you've been through." Emma pauses and decides it's time to get the juicy details. "Besides, Niko is a handsome man. He must have a hot little body under those clothes."

"Oh…his body!" She falls back on the bed. "He's naturally lean so his muscles stand out more. And his stomach…flat and washboard!" She giggles at the thought, gripping at the air as if he were poised above her body. "Oh, and that ass! You can bounce a quarter off of it!" He comment sends the two girls into a fit of laughter.

A knock at the door interrupts their steamy conversation and Niko's voice comes from behind. "Breakfast is ready."

"Go away! She hasn't told me how you were in bed!" Emma yells to him.

The door flies open. "Piss off." He reaches for Karine's hand and helps her off the bed. "Yer not corrupting her!"

"Why, is that your job now?" Emma teases as she leans toward him. She laughs harder because of the sinister glare he shoots her.

"Ye are fucking evil, ye know that?" He yells back to Emma as he escorts Kay safely out the door.

* * *

Their week is coming to a close. As the weekend nears, their friends see less and less of them. They're desperate to spend every last waking moment together. What wasn't said over the phone has been expressed face to face. What hasn't been said yet needs to be shared now, before this ecstasy ends.

She has told him everything about her past. About how she grew up in a large family, adopted at birth, and lived on a farm with horses and cattle. She could go on for hours about her knowledge of horses and her love of riding. He sits there and listens intently to a subject he knows nothing about. He's lost in her every word, simply because she is speaking. She introduced him to her parents this week. They were so glad to see their little girl with someone who clearly cares for her. The youngest in her family, and therefore the most protected, they can sense that Niko is a good man for her.

And he shares his past as well. How he ended up with Davy and Jimmy, the rough life he spent at sea and the struggles he endured to eventually become the coxswain under Davy's command. It is his turn to teach her about his expertise in navigation and sailing. She too listens intently, for she is glad just to hear his voice filled with passion. His life was rough; he never had a mother to give him the gentle, feminine guidance. It makes Karine wonder how he became so gentle, and decides that it must have been Davy's fatherly presence. Niko says he owes it all to the two people who looked out for him. And eventually, he opens up about his recent past, something he's never done with anyone before.

"Her name is Emily." He says after exhaling a long, hard breath. "Man, I loved her." He says with a slight chuckle.

Karine also shared her recent experience with Niko about her ex. A male perspective enlightens what happened. He told her that she was being used, seen as a toy or a game. This single statement answered a thousand questions. So now, she listens to his story to see if she can do the same for him.

"What happened with Emily?" She asks while being held in his arms and running her fingers down the skin of his bare chest.

"Well, it started out great. She said that she could accept me as I am, which not every girl can do." He gently squeezes her shoulder in his hand, letting her know he appreciates her for doing the same. "We were together for three years. The first two were wonderful, or at least I thought they were. Then that final year, she started to go astray. I figure it was because I was out to sea a lot. She'd go out on her own and stay out late, even when I was ashore. Of course, now I see that this was a warning sign, but back then I forced myself to believe she was just working late, like she said. She became very cold and our sex life disappeared completely. But still I remained confident, I wanted to believe her. I thought maybe she was just having a rough time or something." He pauses as if in reflection.

"Was she your first love?" Karine asks.

"Aye. That she was. She said I was her first love too. Little did I know I wasn't her only love. It was Jimmy that knocked me into reality; he's so good at that, ye know. He saw her out with another guy, flirting and making out. Drunk and making an ass of herself, he said. When he came to see me, I was staying with her at her place, but technically living alone 'cause she was never home. He didn't feel it was his place to inform me, but felt I deserved to know. That's when I stormed out and saw it for myself at the local bar."

"Oh, honey. I'm so sorry. That must have been very painful."

"That it was. I said nothing to her. Just gave her a dirty look and left. I packed my shit and went back to the _Genesis_with Jimmy. I haven't seen her since. Don't care to either. She did call me a few days later, after her hangover had subsided, I assume. She confessed to it all, she'd been having multiple affairs with a ton of guys behind my back for a year. And I was too trusting to see it."

"You didn't deserve that. It's women like that that make good men go bad." Karine rests her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, knowing it is a broken one.

"What pisses me off is that she was going around having sex with these guys and then coming back to me. I mean she could have made me sick. That's proof that she didn't care for me if she didn't even consider my own safety and welfare. I treated her like a queen. I cooked and cleaned even! She didn't have to lift a finger."

"She used you." Karine looks up to him; giving him the same response he had given her. She watches at the light bulb turns on in his head, he knows she is right. "She knew she had it good and she knew that you trusted her. But instead of trying to keep the relationship strong, she went elsewhere. Too much work for her, perhaps."

"Well, my last words to her were, 'if you want to be a whore, ye go and be one. But ye will be doing it without me'."

"Good for you." She says with a proud smile. "At least you had the courage to stand up for yourself."

"I don't allow anyone to treat me like shit. The only person who can push me around is Davy. And he doesn't, unless he's cranky. Jimmy to a certain extent is allowed to abuse me. That's his favorite pastime, I think." He laughs and then considers the tone of this conversation. "But this is our last night together, love. We shouldn't be spending our time dwelling on the past."

"What would you like to do then?" She asks, feigning innocence.

He snickers. "I think you know."

"You are lucky I can still walk. I've had more sex this week than I've had in all of my twenty-six years on this planet."

"What's one more for the road?" He laughs. "Oh, I almost forgot." He stands and walks over to his coat and pulls something out of the pocket and quickly hides it behind his back.

She sits up on the bed and smiles. "What have you got?"

Walking over, his hand swings out in front and exposes a small box. "A present."

"You shouldn't have. I didn't get you anything!" Her realization makes her feel guilty.

"No need. I wanted to get you this because I want ye to know what this week has meant to me. Ye have restored my opinion of the fairer sex after it was damaged. I now know that it is possible for someone to genuinely like me as I am." He offers the box and then pulls it away as she reaches for it. "That is…if ye genuinely like me."

She fights words of love and devotion that she's been aching to say, worried that they will scare him off. Instead, she smiles and says, "You know I do."

"I know." He chuckles. "I'm just teasing ye." He hands over the box.

Leaning in, she softly kisses him. Lifting the top off the box, a diamond encrusted Celtic cross pendant laid on smooth black satin. "Oh, Niko! It's the cross I was looking at when we walked by the jewelry store." She looks over at him. "Niko, this was over two thousand dollars…"

He raises his hand to her lips. "The price is nothing. When I turned twenty, Davy and Jimmy gave me a bit of their inheritance. I want ye to wear this, and think of me when ye do."

Her eyes wander over his face, shocked at such a generous gift. She then looks down at the pendant, sparkling in the light. Her heart is now screaming at her to tell him how she feels. She's known him for three months now; this week has enforced what she feels inside.

"Something the matter?" He interrupts her thought process, seeing concern on her face.

"I have to tell you something." She whispers.

"Anything."

She slowly looks up at him, leaving the pendant to meet his eyes. "I'm afraid I've broken our promise." She says referring to the agreement they made a few months back to remain just friends.

His index finger slides under her chin and slowly lifts her lowered head. "I've been wanting ye to say that. That's why I got ye this, to let ye know that I don't see ye that way anymore. Ye are so much more to me now. I love ye, Karine."

It is impossible for her to fight back a smile. "I love you."

The strength of his arms envelope around her body, the safety they provide is overwhelming. The warmth of his body is inviting and the scent of his cologne teases her senses. Knowing that he has been through a similar experience, having been hurt by someone he loved and is now willing to let her in, makes her feel like the luckiest woman on Earth. Here she is, embraced by a man who most women would reject solely because of his face, she finds herself lost in his essence.

She lets her hands wander underneath to the warmth that is hidden beneath his shirt. Every move causes his shoulder muscles to flex and quickly relax. As his kisses become inflamed, his breath picks up its pace. His arms tighten, pulling her trembling body closely into his. His heart races next to hers. The realization that this will be their last time together for a few months makes the moment seem desperate.

She glances at the clock and realizes that they have two hours left before they have to leave. That is plenty of time to physically show this man that she loves him. The idea of waking up tomorrow without him is painful and she drowns the disturbing thought with the passion that is building within her. "Make love to me." She whispers in his ear, the cold metal of his gold hoop earring brushing against her cheek.

"Once more for the road." He mumbles in between kisses.

* * *

"Well, that's the call for the ferry." She says with sadness in her voice as the announcement comes over the speakers in a crackling annoyance. It is the one thing they've been dreading, the voice of separation. She fights back tears, as he takes her in his arms one final time. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss ye." He closes his eyes and inhales the smell of her hair one more time. The images of the past two hours flicker in his mind, not willing to let them go. "Ye'll be home before ye know it."

She finds herself sniffling in a desperate attempt to keep the tears away. Telling herself to be strong doesn't seem to be working. Another announcement shatters their peace, last call, and she forces herself away from his body. "I have to go."

"Call me when ye get in. The minute ye get in." He calls to her as she backs away. "I love ye. Remember that."

He watches her mouth form the words 'I love you', but they are lost in the commotion of the disbanding crowd. She quickly disappears into the mayhem and he finds himself alone in the terminal. He looks around, in complete disbelief that he had to let her go. His heart feels that familiar ache of losing something good. Tonight he will sleep alone; she won't be in his arms to keep him warm. Running his hand over the smooth side of his face, he turns around slowly and walks away.


	10. Chapter 10: Doug

In order to keep himself busy in Kay's absence, Niko has decided that Emma's house is in need of some updating. The past few days have involved moving furniture out into the living room, covering items with protective cloths, and shopping for paint colors and other remodeling supplies. Deciding it was time for a change, Emma gave up her reluctance and decided to give Niko a chance to show off this talent she has not seen yet. Davy had vouched for him, saying she would be pleased with his work, but also reminding her that they all could use a break from him moaning about having to leave Kay.

With her bed in the middle of the living room, the space has quickly become a gathering spot for all members of the house. Emma had laid down ground rules that while it may be communal for now, it is still her bed and therefore a spot on it will always be hers. After that, it's first come, first serve. This, however, does not sit well with the Captain who feels he should have first choice.

Currently, the cantankerous Captain is in the shower so Jimmy has claimed the coveted spot next to Emma on the bed. An avid reader, Jimmy spends the majority of his time delved into other worlds. His topic today is a particular favorite of Emma's, piracy. Emma leans up against his thick body, using his stomach as a hardened pillow.

"Didn't ye say that ye were living in North Carolina for some time?" He asks as he flips a page with a callused finger.

"Yes. I lived there for three months." Emma says with eyes closed, his question bringing back pleasant thoughts of sand dunes and sweet gum trees.

For four months now, Emma has been patiently waiting for Jim to open up to her. She knows much less about this man than the other two she lives with. Most of what she has learned was through Davy or Niko telling her and not from the man's own lips. But through all of his secrecy, she knows she can trust him and she sees a softer side to the Bosun.

A few days ago he had said, "Ye have become like a daughter to me. But tell anyone I said that and I'll kill ye!" Emma laughed at the morbidly mixed message, but got the point. Once she climbed past the abrasiveness, she found out that he's rather charming. Davy and Niko say it is solely because of Emma's gender; he's always charming to the ladies.

"Did ye realize that was where Edward Teach was captured and killed?" He asks in his thick Cockney accent.

"Well, I didn't know that back then, and I didn't get that far south unfortunately. I'm kicking myself now because I would have loved to have been able to say I was where he was last seen alive."

"Hmm. I might have a book on him somewhere. I'll have to dig it out." He says as he turns another page, his many years of escaping into literary worlds have made him a fast reader. His cabin on the _Genesis_is full of books, all read multiple times over with their bindings cracked and worn. The one he reads today is one of Emma's, he's putting it through the miles by correcting the out of date sources as he goes. "Pirates didn't really bury their treasure, ye know. William Kidd may have been about the only one who did, if my memory serves me correctly. It was that Treasure Island fella that started that business. Amazing how things stick, but what an asinine concept. That and they didn't make ye walk the plank."

"You're very learned about pirates. Any particular reason why?" Emma teases him as he ruins some piratical knowledge for her.

"If ye are suggesting that I am a pirate, then ye'd be right."

She sits up slightly in response to his surprising answer. "How's that?"

"Ah. I may have been involved in the sweet trade in my past dealings. Sometimes if customers wouldn't pay on time, then ol' Sam would send me to them as a wee boy to collect what was needed without their knowledge…and maybe what was wanted." He snickers.

"You were a handful as a child, weren't you?" Emma laughs as she repositions herself. She had been enjoying the rise and fall of his abdomen underneath her head.

"What makes ye think that?"

"I just get the feeling that you were."

"Huh, ye'd be right. I was a lot like Niko back then, full of piss and vinegar and not knowing how to contain it. Why do ye think I am so hard on him? I'd get myself into a world of trouble, I was constantly in the way on deck. So ol' Sam would find ways of getting that energy out and to good use." He says matter-of-factly.

"I could see you being good at that. You creep around this house without making a sound. Half the time, you scare the shit out of me because I don't realize you are there."

He laughs, causing her head to bounce up and down with his body. "Yer a girl after me own heart, the foul language outta that pretty mouth! It's the element of surprise, love. Ye never know… I could be right there while yer stripping off for the night."

Emma shoots up from her comfortable position. "I thought you said you saw me as a daughter!"

Jim scoffs to himself knowing that his off-collar jibe hit where he wanted it to. He finds it irresistible in teasing Emma, a new favorite pastime. He laughs again. "Yer still a woman of no relation."

"And you're a pervert!"

"Hey! I didn't say I was actually doing it." He pauses and gives her an evil smile. "Just that it could be possible."

"You're terrible." She rests her head again, not sure if she should be there now. Is he flirting with her or is this just Jimmy being himself?

He turns another page. "And that's what ye like about me."

"Well, when you're not cranky and verbally assaulting people, you're rather pleasant."

"There, see? If ye can say that, ye are saying more about me than most. Consider yerself lucky to see that side of me. No one else gets to see it." He pauses for a few moments before continuing. "Well, one other lady has seen it."

This time Emma is far too intrigued to remain lying down. She sits up and turns to face him in this rare moment of his sharing information. "So you've had someone in your life?"

"I'm not that pathetic! If that's what ye mean." He growls defensively.

"There you go biting off my head again. Let's take a cleansing breath and try that one more time." Emma reminds him of his tone and how it sometimes can be too aggressive.

His eyes scan her from head to toe before he continues in a more placated tone. "Why do ye think I never call ye by yer full name, Emma?"

Emma shrugs, unsure of what he means.

"Yer name is Emma _Grace_, is it not?"

"Yes." The reason occurs to her then, as she realizes she has never heard Jim say her full name. "Her name was Grace?"

"Aye. She was the only person who could see me for who I am. Ye know, before ye came along. Ye remind me a lot of her. Ye have the same features."

"Short and fat?" Emma jokes about her less than perfect stature.

"How many times do I have to tell ye that ye are not fat? Give it a rest." He reaches over and pokes his finger into her upper arm. "But yes, she's _petite_ and _voluptuous_, as I would prefer to call it." He makes a curving motion with his hand as if softly caressing his way down this woman's body. "And she's yer age."

"Jimmy's robbing the cradle!"

Jimmy's softened features instantly become corrosive. "Is that not exactly what ye hope the Captain will do with ye?"

"Point taken." He's won this round, Emma concedes. "So what happened with her?"

"Well, our relationship is a secret. She wouldn't dare tell her folks about me and I don't blame her. She wants a husband and children and that is not something I am capable of giving her. Not if she wants to keep me hidden."

"So how long were you with her?"

"Four years and still to this day, actually. Off and on when I am away, and lately it has been more off than on. Granted, we care for one another, the relationship is mostly just a sexual one. And only because she is not willing to take it farther out of fears to what her parents may think." He says bluntly with an air of wishing it was more. He flips another page.

"That's not entirely fair to you. You deserve to be with someone who will want to be with you completely."

He snorts as he laughs. "Aye? If ye can find someone like that, send her my way."

Emma pauses in thought as he continues to read. It does seem like a mountain to climb. Jimmy can be harsh at times and that isn't the most attractive quality. That and most women would reject him on his appearance alone. And then it occurs to her. "Actually, I know someone who thought you were great in the movie."

He turns his head slowly to question her with his eyes. "Continue."

"Last year, my friend Montana mentioned how she thought the Bosun was an awesome character." She informs him proudly as she recalls that particular conversation.

"Ha. She's clearly delusional." He snickers. "And named after a state."

"Hey. She's got her Masters in psychology. And I think you two would be perfect for one another."

"Why is that?"

"Because you're both stubborn and pigheaded! And she'd certainly put you in your place when you are being abrasive."

He stares at her blankly for a few seconds as if he's contemplating this information and then shrugs. "Not interested."

"Fine. If you want to remain in a relationship where you are hidden, that's your choice." Emma moves to lie back down but falls back hard when he moves out of her way.

Jim sits up and stares down at her. "Mind yerself. My business is my own. If I choose to hang on to her, then it is my choice." He growls. "It's not like the ladies line up for me!"

Emma raises her hands in surrender. "Okay! It's your choice. I just think you deserve better."

"That may be. But that doesn't mean everyone else does. Ye may be able to see past certain issues, 'tis a blessing from above in my opinion." He pauses and glances towards the Heavens. "But most women cannot. Having a face like this dooms me to being alone. So to have someone who is willing to be with me, I am willing to pay that price of being on the sidelines. Got it?" His fangs snap shut as he grimaces down at her.

"Got it." Emma mumbles and looks away, realizing she's pushed a sensitive button and probably ruined her chances of getting him to open up further. So instead, she decides to torment him like he does with her when she is upset. "I just figured I could get you laid. Then maybe you wouldn't be so cranky. She could fish that dead bug out of your ass."

The anger disappears from his face instantly. He rolls back over in acceptance and pulls her into place at his side. "Forget it." He mumbles as he finds his place on the page. "That bug is too deeply embedded, love." He looks up as Davy comes into the room.

Emma looks over and smiles, as she always does when he enters the room. "Nice and clean, are we? Did you leave some hot water for me?"

The Captain fails to acknowledge her. "No." His eyes are transfixed on the Bosun. "Ye are in my spot, mate."

Jimmy is normally abiding to Davy's requests, except when it comes to impressing Emma. "I don't see yer name, mate."

Davy, in slight shock from his subordinate's repugnance, storms into the kitchen. Jim and Emma look at each other as they listen to him searching through the cupboards. A few seconds of silence and he storms back into the living room with a piece of paper. He slaps it down on the bed and sticks it there with a thumbtack.

Jimmy sits up and squints as he reads what is written. The writing is scribbled and unclear. "Who's Doug?"

"Huh?" Davy frowns and looks down at what he wrote. "It says Davy, dammit!" He bellows.

Emma looks down at the scribble and laughs. "No…it says Doug."

"Well, I wrote it fast!" Davy explains with frustration.

"And quite sloppy, I might add." Jimmy snickers.

"Kiss my ass." Davy scowls and tears the sheet of paper off the bed, he then storms away while crumpling it into a ball.

"Whatever ye say, Doug." Jimmy torments.

"Bye, Doug." Emma adds insult to the Captain's injury and then looks at Jimmy. "Henceforth, this spot belongs to Doug."

Jim nods. "Aye."

Angered and defeated, Davy bellows from his room, "The two of ye can go to hell!"


	11. Chapter 11: Apology Accepted

He has since reclaimed his spot, with a victorious sprawling across the width of Emma's bed. In this coveted spot, he has entitlement over the prized real estate - the flat screen TV. With her dog curled up next to him, he looks like a king on his throne, commanding respect from all those who enter the living room.

"Uh-oh." Emma entered the living room looking surprised.

"What?" His Majesty breaks his attention from the television.

"You're sprouting roots. You've been sitting there so long. I think it is time to get out and get some fresh air. The roads are dry and free from ice. How does a road trip sound?"

Davy looks down at the dog who is peacefully snoring at his side. He examines the comfortable expanse of the bed around him and then looks to the girl who is planning on dethroning him. "No. I will not lose my spot again."

"Need I remind you that this is MY bed? And it's going back in my room as soon as Niko finishes painting. You need to get some sun on your skin. We're going." She reaches out and slaps her hand down on his knee.

Jones frowns. "I lived in the Caribbean almost my entire life. I don't need sun."

Emma stands and walks away. "You're going!"

* * *

Excited about hitting the open road with her three favorite men, Emma wakes early to pack a lunch and to plan a route that will impress them. Her home is a vast expanse of mountain ranges and ocean waters stretching to the horizon. Surely this new route she's planned will impress the Captain.

As much as she loves Niko and Jim, it is Davy she wants to spend time with. But it would be unfair to not include them; she drags them along even if they don't want to follow. She is desperate to find out what Davy thinks about her. Maybe these little excursions will bring out the truth.

"Alright, I have a great day planned for us." Emma announces to the men who are waiting for her outside. The spring air is chilled but the sun provides enough warmth to make the day pleasant.

"Problem." Niko announces as he follows her to the car.

"No problems, not today." She responds cheerfully.

"Where are we heading?"

"Wherever the road takes us, dear Niko. I'll probably take you to some waterfalls. They shouldn't be frozen now."

Davy and Jimmy are the first to reach the car, and the Captain makes another one of his characteristic sarcastic comments to Jimmy. "She's going to get us "lost". And then she's going to abandon us in the middle of nowhere." He snickers.

Jimmy decides to join in. "Nigh, Sir...she's going to get us lost and then molest us when no one can help us."

The two of them chuckle as Emma unlocks the car door. "Oh! You guessed my plan!"

Seeing Niko, Davy races around to the front passenger side and exclaims, "I call shotgun!"

Niko sighs heavily. "And that was my problem. He's going to put me in the back seat and squish the hell out of me."

"He's the tallest, Niko. Therefore he needs the most legroom." Emma offers. "Not to mention he's the Captain.

"Ha!" Davy pokes fun. "Ye damn pussy, suck it up and take it like a man!"

"Okay. Let's not spill blood over this issue." Emma intervenes before Niko can retort.

Jimmy sees his chance and announces his placement in the ranks. "I call the seat behind the short driver girl!"

Niko sends a dirty look over to Emma. "Thanks for not caring. Why couldn't ye own a mini-van instead of this little two door rust bucket?"

"Do I look like a soccer mom?" Emma pushes her seat forward to allow the bosun to squeeze into the back. "Can we go somewhere without it becoming an ordeal? Can we just once go a day without fighting like spoiled children? When I bought the car earlier this year, I didn't realize I would have to squeeze three gigantic men into it. Besides, it's not like I enjoy having Jim's knees crammed into my back, but he's taller than you and needs the space."

"This is height discrimination! If ye weren't the one driving…"

"Then I'd be the one squished behind Davy. I know."

"Yer not tall enough to be squished." Jim adds and has the car door slammed in his face.

"I'll see if I can get you the front seat on the way back." Emma offers the disgruntled coxswain her support.

"Huh…not bloody likely." Davy snorts in protest, overhearing the comment. He grins as Niko gives him a dirty look as he prepares to climb into the back seat.

"Stupid Emma with her stupid road trip." Niko growls to himself. As he settles in Davy throws himself into the front seat and pushes it all the way back. "Ah! The leg room!"

"I fucking hate you!" Niko lets out multiple profanities as he is crushed deliberately. "I hate this fucking clown car!"

* * *

An hour has passed and very few words are exchanged other than Emma's pointing out important landscapes. The snow is almost gone, only remaining desperately in low lying areas and in the thick alpine forests. The ocean waves look deceptively inviting, the empty beaches tell the truth of how cold it still remains.

"Are we there yet? I have to unkink my body!" Niko suddenly announces angrily.

Davy, in his casual cruelty, lowers his seat back and laughs. "What?" His eyes gleam in his chaos.

"Stop trying to squish Niko." Emma hides her laughter as she reprimands Davy for his cruelty. She pulls off the main highway onto a dirt road. "I'm the captain of this vessel. Don't make me pull this car over! Just another minute and we'll be there."

"Where the hell on Earth are we?" Jimmy snarls, frustrated by his own cramped quarters and Niko's constant fidgeting.

"Washabuck, dear Jimmy."

"Ye can wash yer deer here?" Niko asks with a smirk.

"No. It's just a funny name. There's a waterfall back here." The road is sloppy with spring mud and Emma decides they are better off getting their feet dirty than getting the car stuck. She parks the car at the base of a small hill. "We're here!"

"For the love of God, let me out!" Niko shrieks as if he's smothering. Davy laughs coldly as he refuses to open the door. When Jimmy and Emma have exited, he clambers over to freedom through the only available escape route. Once again Davy laughs and opens the door and easily steps out as Niko struggles his way out the opposite side. Niko gives him the stink eye as he stands up straight. "Yer an ass!"

Davy slams the car door and ignores the comment. When he sees that Emma's back is turned toward the path, he picks up a handful of muddy snow and tosses it at Niko. It hits him on the shoulder even though he was aiming for his head. "That is common knowledge, mate!"

"Be careful, Davy. Tell Niko the path has ice." Emma calls back to the stragglers.

"What'd she say?" Niko asks, still on the road wiping the snow and mud from his leather jacket.

"She said your crotch has lice!" Davy shouts over his shoulder.

"No I believe she was speaking to ye about that one." Niko grumbles.

It takes a few minutes for them to reach the waterfall. The path is wet with thick ice, making it incredibly slippery. Emma and Jim are already standing in front of the fifteen foot waterfall that flows freely. Along the riverbank, jagged ice remains clinging to the rocks. The air is thick with a cool mist and the fresh smell of pine and spruce.

"Nice." Davy is forced to raise his voice over the roar of the rushing water.

"I'm going to get closer to take a better shot of the falls." Emma announces. As she steps away, a hand grabs her coat and pulls her back. She turns around to see a now frowning Davy.

"I don't think so. That path is too icy and steep."

"Davy, I'm used to walking on ice. I've been doing it for almost twenty-six years. I'll be fine." She breaks away from his grip and starts traveling the ice-covered path.

Davy sternly looks over to Niko and snaps his fingers. Pointing in her direction, he gives a silent order for the coxswain to follow. Despite the disrespect Niko just received from his superior, he nods and faithfully heads off in Emma's direction.

"We'll leave the old farts behind and get a better view." Emma announces as he joins her on the path. She smiles when he places his arm around hers for support.

Every step must be carefully planned. A short distance takes several minutes to travel. Niko does surprisingly well and credits it to being used to walking on slippery decks. The last part of the trail is a sharp drop down to the water.

"If I want to get my shot, I'll have to get down on the rocks." Emma calls over her shoulder.

"That is close enough!" Davy's voice is only slightly audible over the roar of the waterfall.

Emma looks back at the two older men and laughs. They both look like they are about to jump out of their skin. "I'm fine!" She yells back. She quickly takes the best pictures she can despite the mist fogging up her lens in a matter of seconds. Satisfied, she turns to Niko, "Ready?"

He nods as he takes another look at the falls. "Ye head back first. I got yer back if ye fall."

Looking back, the trail looks worse than it did on the way up. For some reason it looks steeper, more treacherous. Grabbing the overhanging tree branches, Emma slowly makes her way across the narrow path. On the other side of them, freezing cold water rushes over jagged rocks. She looks up and catches the eyes of Davy.

"One step at a time! Take it slow!" He announces as he slides his was down the path to get closer to her. A terrifying vision of her falling into the freezing water is running through his mind.

Emma takes a step forward and her foot slips out from underneath her. Niko's hand reaches out in time and stops her from falling over the edge. As he pulls her up, she watches helplessly as her camera and cell phone slide out of her pockets. The camera falls and lands on a small patch of ice, hanging precariously over the raging water. The cell phone bounces off the ice and heads straight into the water.

"Shit, my cell phone!" Emma shrieks and tosses herself over the muddy bank to retrieve it.

"Emma!" Having seen enough, Davy hollers and flies over the icy river bank.

Emma pockets her camera and reaches into the water for the cell phone. Her hand burns with the cold as she fishes it out. Flipping it open, the photo of Davy and herself she has as a background greets her as it should and she is relieved. But when she starts pressing buttons the screen goes insane, making a screeching noise as multiple numbers randomly display without prompting. "Ah, crap."

Niko is the only one who seems to find the humor in this. He's being verbally assaulted by both Jimmy and Davy to rescue Emma from this scene. He reaches down and hauls her up. "Are ye alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. But my cell phone is screwed."

He looks past her and chuckles. "Well, prepare yerself. Ye have bigger problems. Yer about to get disciplined by the Captain."

Davy's hand reaches out and grabs hers as she reaches him on the trail. There's no gentle touch here, he roughly drags her onto the gravel where he was standing with Jimmy. He looks her up and down, examining her mud soaked clothes. "Are ye absolutely insane? Do ye realize what could have happened?"

"I'm fine, Davy. It's just my cell phone is all screwy." She announces, realizing her disappointment in its malfunction.

He grabs her arms in his hands and shakes her. "What if ye had fallen and hit your head? None of us can drive. We're miles away from civilization, let alone a hospital! Ye could have drowned by the time any of us got to ye! And your cell phone is busted which means we couldn't call for help!"

"I think you are over reacting…"

"No, Emma! Ye could have just killed yourself in front of us all and we'd be helpless to save ye! Ye are being too immature and naïve to realize that!" He hisses viciously at her.

Emma continues to be verbally reprimanded for her actions as they head towards the car. He continually tells her that she is foolish for doing what she did and should have known better. Emma finds herself shocked by his approach, he's never yelled at her before.

"I am getting to old for this." He grumbles as he reaches the car. "Ye children have too much energy for me." He points at both Emma and Niko with an accusing finger.

_Children? He sees me as a child?_ Emma thinks to herself as his words sting her. Well there goes any chance of them possibly starting a relationship! He doesn't even see her as an adult, let alone a possible partner. Out of everything he's said, this hurts the most.

* * *

The night sky swallows the landscape around them as they head home. Emma hasn't said anything to Davy and he's been silent with her as well. Just looking at his face, she can tell he still has plenty to say but he's biting his tongue. She can hear the soft sounds of breathing from the other two in the back, now asleep from the long trip. So it is just them, caught in a tense and awkward silence.

He clears his throat finally and speaks. "Look, I'm sorry I snapped at ye back there."

The only thought that runs through her mind is, '_Yeah? You better be_!' But she decides to give him the silent treatment for a bit longer.

"I didn't mean it. Ye just scared me, that's all." He looks over in the darkness.

No response. She wants him to stew on it a bit. He's only apologizing now because he knows Jimmy and Niko won't hear. If he thinks she's immature, then he should hear the thoughts running through her head at this point. Something along the lines of '_bite me_' and '_kiss my ass_'.

He looks away, not receiving the forgiveness he was hoping for. "Ye just cannot see the dangers in life. Ye haven't experienced enough."

"Fuddy duddy." I grumble.

"What?" He looks over.

"That's right! I said it. You're a fuddy duddy!"

In the darkness, she can hear him chuckle. It's not the worst insult he's ever received but it's true! Sometimes he is too serious.

"Oh, and if I were to be like ye and Niko? Where would we be then? If anything, ye are a big baby." He snickers.

"Bite me." Her thoughts finally escape her head.

"Em. Someone has to keep order. Ye live your life with such passion that sometimes ye do things without thinking."

Momentarily she takes her eyes off the road to look over to him. "Do you really see me as a child?"

"I spoke in haste and again I apologize. But ye are ten years younger than I."

There's her answer. "That's fine. Apology accepted." She says the words but doesn't mean it.

"Somehow I don't believe that it is. I suppose ye are going to make me suffer?"

"And how! You better start puckering because you have a lot of ass kissing to do!" She says with all seriousness and is met with laughter.

"Emma, I feel it is my responsibility to look after ye."

"Davy, I am going to be twenty-seven this summer. I can take care of myself."

His head snaps back over in her direction. "And ye certainly proved that today."

No response.

"You're not used to having someone fret over ye. It is obvious to me now. Ye have always lived your life as ye planned it. And frankly, I'm not used to worrying over someone. So we both have some issues to become accustomed with."

She looks out the driver's side window as if watching her chances for a relationship with this man disappear on the night wind. She might as well face it. He doesn't see her that way. She's more of an inconvenient burden than anything else. "It's not a responsibility you are required to uphold." She informs him.

"Oh, but it is. Ye are the first person to admit that they actually care for me. And I must admit that this gives me a sense of comfort. So heaven forbid I want to keep ye safe from harm, to keep a good friend around a bit longer."

Suddenly she is flooded with guilt. If she can't have him as a partner she should be grateful to have him as a friend. "I'm sorry I scared you."

He nods. "Apology accepted."


	12. Chapter 12: Your only chance

The last frigid remainder of winter's snow has melted away and exposed the frost bitten earth below. The sweet smell of spring is vivid throughout the air and the days are growing longer. Son-before-the-Father flowers begin to poke up from the gravel roadsides, a flash of golden grace amongst the morbid brown of the bare trees and dead grass. Songbirds begin to arrive at Emma's feeders, robins and sparrows, sweet blessings that remind her that warmer weather is on its way.

Her male companions are growing weary of the cold weather, and despite the brightness of the sun there is still a cold touch to the air. They find it hard to believe that it will ever warm up when Emma talks about her eagerness to go swimming again. Soon enough, their familiar humidity and heat will greet them, she promises.

Last weekend, Karine graduated with honors after four long years of studying. Niko flew in to join her to celebrate her achievements a few weeks earlier. He had finished his renovations at Emma's house and was itching to meet up with Kay after two months apart. Emma watched reluctantly as her comedic relief left while still feeling relieved for both her friends to find such happiness together.

With Niko gone, Emma now has a chance to spend more time with Davy. As usual, Jim disappears into a lengthy novel, leaving the two of them virtually alone in the house. They spend hours talking, with Davy reliving his many adventures at sea as a young man. As he speaks, Emma is drawn to the glow in his bright eyes, and the graceful movement of each muscle in his face as he smiles at her. She finds herself captivated just by being in his presence and cannot imagine life without him now. The idea of him leaving her causes a deep sorrow to form within her soul.

How could she possibly live without him now? He often tells her how much he appreciates her unwavering friendship and unconditional acceptance, calling it a beautiful miracle. Late at night, he tells her how he feels lucky to know her and yet he still does not comprehend why she accepts him. She just shrugs and cups her hand to his face. Just that simple touch causes her skin to burn with desire. She finds herself wanting to reach out and touch him whenever she can, just to feel that spark. Her heart aches when he looks down at her, his eyes softened from laughing. If only she could find the courage to ask him how he feels about her.

Late last night, their conversation turned into a spontaneous game of air hockey. Between sips of cold beer followed by shots of rum and reminders to keep it quiet as to not wake the sleeping bosun, Emma managed to beat the Captain by one point. He had vowed to never let that happen again.

"I challenge ye to an air hockey match, wench!" Jones bursts into her room as the sun begins to set on another day, looking smug and confident with himself.

"You want your ass kicked again, huh? Okay…" Emma laughs as she walks downstairs to the table. "Just take it easy on my fingers." She recalls every time the hard plastic flew in to smack her fingers, leaving them tender to touch.

"This is a war, Em. I cannot help it if ye lose a few digits in the crossfire." He scoffs and turns the table on. "Suck it up and be a man."

Annoyed by having his peace interrupted, Jim looks up from his book. "Children..."

Not realizing Jim was even in the room, Emma's distraction leads to her missing the first shot as it flies into the slot. "Hey!"

"Score!"

"You cheater! That doesn't count! I wasn't ready."

"Wake up then." Jones laughs and slaps the returned puck back on the table.

"Fine. Then no cheating, Captain. You can't block the net with your arm. And the other arm cannot touch the table. Period."

"Your shot, rule Nazi." He laughs.

Emma slams the puck his way and he gracefully slides his paddle to block it, with little effort. She continues to send it with great force and he barely moves and inch and blocks every shot she makes. "I'm getting you drunk so you can't play right!" She pouts at her inability to score.

"And that's not cheating?" He snickers. "But if that's the game ye want to play, we'll make it interesting. One shot of rum every time the other person gets a goal." He walks over and grabs the bottle from last night. "Are ye man enough, sailor?" He twists his head in my direction.

"Are you trying to turn me into an alcoholic?"

"No, just trying to take advantage of ye." He walks over to her side of the table and places a shot glass in front of her.

Emma contemplates his statement, wondering if she should retort with '_you don't have to get me drunk to do that.'_

"Ye won't last past three shots, guaranteed. Ye have to take at least ten shots for me to win the game. I already have one goal on ye and that means ye need to take a swig."

Davy pours her a full glass and is surprised when the girl tosses it back. He smiles as if he is impressed by the action.

Emma fights the urge to make a peculiar face as the liquid burns its way down her esophagus. It hits her empty stomach like a ball of fire. She slams the glass down and whacks the puck into his net. His shocked face looks down as if the little plastic puck left a trail of smoke, and then looks back at this amusing girl.

"Drink up!" She yells.

He laughs as he pours himself a shot. "That was cheating." He drinks the golden fluid as if it were water.

"Doesn't feel good, does it?" Emma yells proudly but then jumps back as the puck flies toward her from across the table. Reacting she deflects it back to him and he returns it so hard that it bounces off the table and smacks into the wall. "Davy! Leave the wall intact, please!" She laughs when he sends her an accomplished smirk. There's something so sexy about him when he's misbehaving.

"Ye are lucky it hit the wall and not ye."

"Yeah, and knock all my teeth out!" Emma puts the puck back into play and he sends it back into her net.

"Drink." He points a finger at the empty shot glass.

"Screw this, I'm cheating!" Emma places her arm in front of the net. Jones laughs heartily and continually sends the puck flying at her. Five minutes go by with the puck passing back and forth with no results. Every time it hits her arm and she reacts from the pain, Jones breaks into more satisfied laughter, informing the girl it's her own fault for cheating in such a poor manner.

"This is boring! One of ye needs to fuck up soon." Jimmy leans his head on his hand with impatience.

The puck stalls in the center of the table. Davy makes eye contact the exact moment Emma looks up at him. At the same time, they fly to the center and start swiping at the puck. Emma has to throw her petite frame onto the table just so she can reach it.

"Get off the table!" Jones growls with amusement. "How am I supposed to score on ye if your entire body blocks the net?"

She looks up and grins, "you're trying to score with me?"

Jones falls silent. He then offers his hand to help her off the table. "Stop cheating." He offers to change the subject.

"You stop cheating!"

"This game's goin' nowhere." Jimmy cuts in with his frustration. "I'm goin' to start supper."

Fifteen more minutes pass by and the score becomes 9 to 7. Jones smiles, pleased at his ability to be regaining his dominance over the game, even if his opponent has now had nine shots of rum that have altered her ability to play.

"OWW!" She shrieks as the puck slaps into her fingers.

"I'm surprised ye could even feel that, ye drunk! Keep your fingers off the table." He slams the returned puck into her net and she is defeated. "HA!" He exclaims and laughs happily. "Ye don't have to take another drink. I'll go easy on ye now."

"Good..." Emma leans forward sloppily. "Because I don't think I can walk."

"Come here." He offers his hand for support. When she reaches out for him, she falls directly into his arms. Jones shakes his head and directs her to the nearby couch.

"Davy?"

"Aye?" He looks down at her and finds it impossible to resist brushing a wayward lock of hair from her face.

"I love you."

Jones smiles. " And that's the alcohol talking. I think I need to teach ye how to handle your liquor better love, ye keep throwing yourself at me."

"Stop getting me drunk! And I'm not saying it 'cause I'm loaded…" She leans closer to his face, enjoying the smoothness of his lips while wondering how they would taste. "I mean it."

"I'm sure." He says with some discomfort, wondering why he feels the urge to kiss her but to fight it off just as fast. He clears his throat and tries to calm the desire brewing inside him now. He knows she cares for him; the simple idea of this makes him want more from her. As much as he cares for her now, he cannot lead her on in her state. "I care for ye as well, ye are like a daughter to me."

She jerks back from the warmth of his body. "What?"

"Supper's ready." Jimmy treads heavily down the stairs, providing a convenient interruption for Jones.

"Ah. Time to eat." Davy slaps a hand on her knee. "But I don't think she's in any condition." He looks up as Jimmy approaches. "Perhaps we'll leave her here for now."

"Aye, Sir." Jimmy nods as he examines the expression on Emma's face, one of shock and drunken disgust.

"Alright. I shall wash up and check on ye later." Davy says to her as he pries her fingers from his beard.

She listens as he is walking up the stairs and waits for the sound of the bathroom door closing. "JIMMY!" She wails aloud.

"Sweet Jesus, girl! I'm right here!" He wriggles his pinkie finger in his ear canal, her voice piercing his brain. "Not so loud!"

"He sees me as a daughter?" She moans as he takes a seat next to her on the couch.

Jim smirks as the drunken girl falls into his lap. "I'm sorry, Em."

Jones may be oblivious to her feelings, but she has shared them with both Niko and Jimmy. They have insisted that she explain her emotions to the Captain, they both feel he would willingly accept this. But Emma cannot find the fortitude to share her desires with the man of her affections. So instead, she continues to reach out to them for strength, hoping they will say some magic words that will convince her to finally tell Jones the truth.

"Don't worry, Em." Jim slaps a heavy hand down on her tiny shoulder. "Perhaps it's the alcohol talking. He can make a jerk of himself when he's got the substance in him. 'Tis why he avoids it the majority of the time. Alcohol loosens the tongue."

"And lets the truth come out!" She moans as her head sinks farther down his rugged body.

Jimmy stiffens and swallows hard."Listen…don't do that!" He grabs her and pulls her back up so he can look her in the eye. "I told ye to hang tight. He has trust issues, ye know that."

"He's known me for almost five months! How could he not trust me?"

"Don't give up on it. If he's the one ye want, ye have to tell him."

She looks up at him and sees an expression on his face that she's never seen before. Emma can't quite identify it. It seems to be a mixture of sadness and envy.

Jimmy sighs and helps her to lie down."Ye stay here and rest. When ye've slept it off, yer supper will be upstairs waiting for ye."

* * *

Emma wakes the next morning, feeling groggy and woozy. Not normally one to drink, her body has yet to accept the punishment she has been giving it since the boys moved in.

The sound of Davy's voice trails down the stairs. It is music to her ears that have since begun ringing.

"We'll have to convince Niko to leave Karine for a while." The Captain says in a hushed voice.

"Aye. Two weeks is all we need to get the _Genesis _up and running again." Jimmy's voice chimes in.

"We'll have to leave soon, as soon as possible, in fact. Just think of it, man! Two weeks with our women. Should give us enough time to have some fun, aye? It has been a while!"

Her jaw falls. Did she just hear that? Or is this a drunken nightmare? Her heart races and her stomach sinks. They're leaving? Why? What happened to make them change their minds? She tries to get to her feet, but her dizziness causes her to fall back on the couch. Her mind begins to swarm with horrible thoughts. What did she say to him last night? '_Oh crap! I told him I loved him_!' She thinks with self-loathing horror. '_I must have scared him off_!'

"Ah, ye are awake."

Davy's voice shocks her out of her horrible reverie. She looks up to the both of them as they stand over her. She didn't even hear them enter the room.

"Lord, Emma. Ye look like ye've seen a ghost. Are ye not feeling well?" Jimmy asks.

"I'm…fine." She reaches down and grabs the blanket that one of them must have put over her last night. She suddenly feels exposed and vulnerable.

"Good. I need your knowledge. Is it safe to sail these waters at this time of year? I am unfamiliar with the North Atlantic." Davy kneels in front of her. His face carries a gleam of excitement she has not seen before and it troubles her.

"Umm…yeah. It's not the hurricane season yet. Ice is gone…fine. Wait, sail? Why are you sailing here?"

"We've decided to take the _Genesis _off of dry dock and sail her back here. We can do some nautical exploration of your island this summer. Just don't lose your cell phone over the side." Davy feigns seriousness but quickly loses his intent when he smiles. "Of course, she needs a bit of work. We figure two weeks, at most, to fix her up."

"So you'll be coming back?" Emma's question escapes her lips with fervent passion.

He seems confused by her question, furrowing his brow. "Of course."

Suddenly she finds herself happy to provide him with the information he needs."Yeah. It's not a bad time to sail. Cold, though. You may run into some storms but nothing too bad."

"Ha! This ol' sea dog is used to weathering storms." He says proudly. "Now we just have to convince Niko to leave his lady again."

"That will be problematic." Jimmy contemplates. "He's glued to the lass."

"We need three to sail her." Davy reminds.

Suddenly, the latter half of Davy's conversation creeps into Emma's mind. Something about their women? And then she remembers the conversations she had secretly with Jimmy, about how Davy had fallen for a woman named Evelyn. Is this the woman he hopes to meet up with now? The last thing she wants is for the man she loves to be frolicking with some floozy down in the Barbados! "Well…if you can't pry Niko away, maybe I can do it!" _There…that would put a wrench in his plans._

"That's a mighty fine gesture, love. I know ye have sailing experience, but not recent enough and not with a ketch. Not much good, I'm afraid." He rises to his feet; he seems to coldly turn away from her. "It will take some convincing, but we'll win him over." Davy says with a nod to Jimmy and heads up the stairs.

Emma's voice breaks the silence. "It's over. He doesn't want to be with me."

"What? Why do ye think that?" Jim stares down at her, puzzled by her statement.

"I don't know. Either he thinks I'm too young, too fat, too immature…too… whatever. He doesn't want to be with me. He obviously wants Evelyn."

Jim grows impatient with her self-depreciating. "One, ye are not fat. Ye have curves and men normally appreciate that. Two, ye are more mature than most people yer age. Yes, ye are younger than he, and maybe that's what is keeping him away. But ye have to prove to him ye are a woman. Not a child." Jim pauses to gather the remainder of her sentence. "Wait, what makes ye think he wants Eve?"

"He's going to go down there and be with Evelyn. What happens if he realizes she's what he really wants?" She looks up to her companion and adviser.

His eyes search the room without a muscle moving. "I cannot see that happening after ten years. I certainly don't think that will convince her to leave her husband."

"But it could if he gives her an ultimatum."

"I'm going to give ye a piece of advice here. Stop relying on yer wishbone and grow a backbone instead." He points an accusing finger in her face. "Stop torturing yerself and tell the damn man how ye feel! He's a man after all! He's as smart as hell on open water, but when it comes to ye, he's dumb as bricks!" He places his hand under her chin to lift her head high, as if the simple gesture will bring on the courage and strength she needs. "It's yer only chance."


	13. Chapter 13: Worth fighting for

"Oh, she's a beauty, strong and true. A forty-four foot traditional sailing ketch, a dying breed in these waters today." Jimmy's hand travels along the horizon over the ocean as he describes his inheritance to Emma, his only true possession in this world. Of course, half that inheritance belongs to his superior, but his eyes still gleam with pride. Emma sits listening by his side on a large piece of drift wood, enjoying the passion in his gravelly voice. "The _Genesis _can overtake any vessel as far as I'm concerned."

"Bah." Davy snickers from behind. "Anything without an engine. Perhaps a dinghy." Jones tosses a rock over their heads and it splashes heavily into the water.

"Ye speak ill of her?" Jimmy asks with frustrated confusion. They send one another piercing glares; Davy's being of a dominant sort while Jimmy's being a defensive subordinate one.

Emma decides to break this up before it starts. "So, she's going to be sailed back here? Just the three of you?"

Jimmy looks away and his face softens; the deep lines of his face relaxing. "Aye. She needs much work to be seaworthy again. She's been on dry dock now for far too many a year. A fresh coat of paint and some repairs to her hull and she'll be right as rain. Wait 'til ye see her, Em." His eyes fill with bubbly pride again. "There aren't many ships like her in this area. She'll take yer breath away."

"She's atrocious. Your pride is over zealous. We've much work ahead to get her worthy of pride."

"What crawled up yer ass and died?" Jimmy turns to his crankier-than-usual captain. He turns back to finish answering Emma's question and ignores the foul look he receives as a response. "The three of us will get her goin' again. All she needs is a crew of three, but they must be capable and able. And when we get her back, we can take ye out for a tour." He smiles and places his arm around her side.

Emma smiles up at his toothy grin. She can see that the ocean is in his blood and he is eager to get back to her. This particular topic always seems to invigorate him slightly.

"That's if she'll sail." Davy snorts. He turns as Karine and Niko make their way down to the waterfront. "Well, it's about time, coxswain. You're always slowing us down."

"And yet ye always rely on me as if nothing can be done without me." Niko gives a casual smirk as he walks forward, holding Karine's hand.

"Bah!" The Captain hisses and turns around on his heels. "I came down here for a walk on the beach and I shall do it on my own if ye all want to sit around like fools!" He starts off on his own.

"Bye!" Niko sarcastically calls to him.

"Is it me, or is he extremely cranky today? Much more than normal." Kay says with a laugh after the Captain is out of hearing range.

"It's not ye. He's got the grumps because he wants to get down to Evelyn and has to wait for me to help ye unpack." Niko admits blindly.

Jimmy reaches up from his sitting spot and punches Niko hard on the thigh. Before Niko can respond in defense, Jimmy gives a nod in Emma's direction.

"Oh. Sorry, Em." Niko says with slight embarrassment while rubbing his leg.

"It's alright." She says, despite the pain his absent-minded reminder has caused her.

"So when do you plan on telling him?" Kay asks before walking over and taking her friend's hand in hers. They have spent many hours talking about Emma's feelings for Davy. And like Jimmy and Niko, she has been pressing her friend to find the courage to take the next step.

"Certainly not today, unless I want my head bitten off. He really does seem to be eager to get to her. I wonder if it is even worth it."

"Ye can't give up on it, Emma. Ye have to at least give it a go. Although, I have to wonder why ye'd want to be with him when he's like this." Niko laughs.

His comment releases some of the tension that has been steadily building inside her. "You're leaving Saturday?" She asks Jimmy, her hand supporting her head with her elbow on his thick leg.

"Aye. That gives ye two days to prepare yer speech."

"You still believe it will work?"

"Anything worth having is worth fighting for." He says.

"Why don't ye two ladies go catch up with him, try to stop him from violating the nearest thing that crosses his path. I want to talk privately with Jim for a second." Niko says quickly, motioning his hand in the direction the belligerent Captain traveled. "Just be careful. He might bite." He watches as they walk off and turns to face Jimmy. "Are ye sure ye should be pushing this issue with her? The Captain has his heart set on playing around with Eve for two weeks."

Jimmy looks up as if he's confused by his subordinate's question. "I just think the Cap'n would be much better off with someone who will accept him for who he is, 'tis all."

"We both agree on that. I want nothing more than to have the two of ye out of my hair…"

"Ye have no hair, mate." Jimmy snickers with a crooked smile.

"Figuratively. The last thing I want is to have to take care of yer cranky asses when yer old."

"We took care of yer hyper ass when ye were young. Still are in fact, and by choice alone." Jimmy points out.

"Touche. I just don't think he's going to accept her offer. I think yer setting her up for heartbreak."

"The Captain is fond of her."

"And fond is going to help him leave a woman he's been chasing for more than ten years? For a girl who's half his age? I think ye are reading too deeply into this."

Jim's back stiffens at the accusation. "Ye are forgetting that I know him better than ye, for much longer too. He just needs some convincing to see where he needs to be." Jimmy looks up at the young man standing before him, squinting from the sunlight in his eyes. The look he sends is one to warn Niko to be cautious where he steps.

"Fine. But he's more stubborn than a mule!" Niko rolls his eyes, mentally preparing himself for the possible battle ahead.

"Yer just upset because ye have to leave Karine again, that's why yer knickers are in a knot about this. Ye said ye supported the idea of getting them two together. Get the Cap'n off our backs…is what ye said… I believe were the exact words." He pauses. "Or, perhaps ye just don't want to go down because ye know Emily will get wind of yer presence."

It's Niko's turn to be uncomfortable and defensive. "I'll be remaining on board the ship for the time spent. She's the last person I want to see. That way I will get her fixed faster and we can get home quicker…"

"Nigh! Two weeks! No more, no less." He points a vicious finger at Niko. " I have business to attend to myself. I have some ladies of the night to say farewell to as well as Grace." He grabs at his jacket and straightens himself. "Lord knows this will be my last time with a woman."

"Not holding out much hope for yerself, aye?" Niko teases.

"Should I?" He turns slowly, his fangs exposed above his heavy lip. He looks away in reflection. "The Cap'n needs to see that Eve won't choose him. If we can convince him of this truth before we head out it will save him the anguish, Emma the tears, and our blessed ears."

"Ah yes. 'Cause yer doing all this to be completely selfless." Niko laughs at the idea.

"I just want ye all to shut up and leave me alone. So if it seems I'm being selfless in getting them together, it's purely for show."

"No. I don't believe that it is. I think you care about us." Niko teases.

"Bull shit." Jimmy growls and turns away.

"No, no! I truly think ye care. Because the old Jimmy would have swooped in and claimed a vulnerable girl like Emma for yerself and leave the Captain to his own findings."

"And why would I suddenly have such a change of heart?" Jimmy snickers as he reaches down and cups a handful of cool sand, allowing it to run through his thick fingers. He contemplates tossing it at the coxswain, who is pressing his buttons at the moment.

"Because ye care for Emma. This makes no sense to me as to why you haven't made a move on her. If the Captain doesn't make the right choice, she'd be available for ye. But ye keep pushing her towards him. Makes no sense to me. That's completely out of the ordinary for ye two. Ever since I came to live with ye's, ye've been fighting over women."

"She doesn't want me." Jimmy growls.

"Ye certainly have the powers of persuasion. Look at how ye ended up with Grace. The old Jimmy would see his lonely future and sweep Emma off her feet. Lord knows ye'd be getting a loyal partner."

Frustrated, Jim stands and hovers over his insolent subordinate. "My choices are mine alone." Jimmy looks down at him fiercely. "Emma shouldn't be caught up in the cross fire and I am loyal to the Capt'n."

"Even though ye've stolen women from him before." Niko reflects calmly despite knowing the aggression that could come flying his way.

"Hey, it's not like he didn't do the same. They were never serious relationships, we know our boundaries. And I am looking out for Emma!" He snaps a pointed finger in the direction the girl now travels.

Niko looks over to the sound of Karine's voice calling for him. He takes a long, deep breath. "Well, if ye think this is the best thing for Em, then I will do what I can as well. Even if it means going against the Captain and supporting her if he breaks her heart. This is, after all, the most likely outcome." He turns and heads down the shore.

Jimmy takes his seat as he watches him go. For the life of him, he's not quite sure why he's not pursuing Emma either. The potential is there and he cannot deny having those thoughts about her. He normally doesn't care who he knocks over to get to a potential partner, seeing since they are so scarce for him. But knowing Emma's true desires, he decides to help the only girl who accepts him for who he is, rather than take advantage of her. He may lose out on the only opportunity to feel real love from a woman, but if her heart is set on the Captain then there is no point in trying to convince her otherwise. He slowly makes his way to his feet and decides to follow the group down the shore. He can hear the laughter ahead of him, something he's used to. Everyone around him feels joy in life and he watches it slip through his grasp every time. Once again, he forces a fake smile and walks silently toward his friends.


	14. Chapter 14: Worst fears realized

'_Today is the day.'_

Emma's eyes awaken to a beautiful, sunny morning. The birds outside her window are singing their sweet love songs as they flutter between trees. She rubs the sleep from her eyes as she realizes she did not get very much of it at all. She had spent her entire night, tossing and turning over what will happen today. Today is the day she finally tells him the truth. She will tell him she loves him, that she wants him in her life. Not as a friend, but as a partner. It's time to turn this friendship into something more.

The majority of the night was spent fantasizing over the idea of him smiling at her admittance and then taking her into his strong arms where he kisses her passionately. The rest of the night was spent in dread over the realization that he could simply reject her and turn away in disgust.

"How is he this morning?" Emma asks Jimmy quietly as she fills her mug with a strong cup of coffee.

"Seems pleasant enough." Jim mutters while holding back the truth that his superior is actually very excited about his prospects over the next two weeks. "Is today the day?"

"Yes," she smiles weakly. "I want to catch him before he gets too preoccupied.

"Well, I'm afraid yer too late in that regard, love. He's already got the boy out running errands to stock up for the trip." Jim lays a supportive hand on her shoulder before walking away.

"Maybe I should wait until he comes back, when he's not so focused on her." Emma says to Karine who has been listening the whole time.

"No! You've felt this way for too long! He deserves to know and you need to find out how he truly feels. You two behave like a couple anyway, now you have to become one." She says with a compassionate smile. "I just want to see you happy, sweetie. You helped me get with Niko, it's time for me to return the favor somehow. You can't wait any longer. He has to know how you feel before he meets up with that Evelyn." Kay's nose wrinkles at the mention of his lover's name. She has made up her mind that the only woman good enough for Davy is her best friend. And vice versa.

"What am I going to do if he says no?" Emma looks up to see Jimmy entering the kitchen once more.

"Ye'll tell him to suck yer ass and ye'll move on." He says sarcastically. Karine slaps his arm gently to reprimand him for the comment. "What?"

Kay reaches the same hand over to place on top of Emma's. "Look. If worse does come to worst, it will hurt. It will probably be awkward. But don't let it ruin your friendship with him. You have to be strong and face your fears. You've always said you don't need a man to survive, so you'll live. You want him in your life, so your life won't end if he rejects you." Karine says with conviction. "However, I don't think that is how it will end. I have a good feeling about this."

"Ye need to go do it now. While he's busy and cannot turn away from ye." Jimmy offers with a finger pointing in the Captain's last location.

"What if it is too awkward for him…and he can't handle being here anymore?" Emma stalls further.

"The man already knows ye have feelings for him, just not how strong. Go and do it now, our plane leaves in a few hours! Get it over with." Jim motions with his hands to make her stand.

Knees weak, she heads toward the door to search for Davy. She looks back one final time for moral support from her friends. "Here goes."

* * *

Emma can hear him fumbling through boxes in the garage. As she rounds the corner, he straightens and smiles. "Ah! Just the person I need. Have ye any idea as to the location of my old pipe?"

"The last I saw it, it was in the den. But we got you a new one yesterday, why do you need your old one?"

"Figures. The only place I didn't check! Thanks for loaning us these winter blankets for the trip back. It's not something we have on the _Genesis_, but will be sorely needed I'm sure."

"No worries." She pauses to take a deep, calming breath. He is clearly avoiding her question so she decides to move on. "Do you have a couple of minutes?"

He removes the pocket watch from his jacket, the one she bought him for Christmas. "I have a few."

Her meaningful words dance around in her head. They make complete sense to her, but she cannot force them out. Instead, her biggest fear escapes her lips. "Are you coming back?"

His face contorts into a confused frown. "Where on Earth did that come from? Ye know I am."

"I'm just afraid you're going to want to stay."

"What makes ye assume this?" He stops searching through a box to question her with his eyes.

Emma's voice comes out as a whisper. "I know why you're going down there."

He leans in and waits for her answer. "Pray tell?"

"I overheard your conversation with Jimmy. You're going down to see Evelyn."

He pulls back slightly, his face now fighting off signs of frustration. "Excuse me? Ye were eavesdropping on my conversation?"

"No! I mistakenly overheard it!" Emma walks towards him, arms reaching out in an attempt to console him.

He pulls away slightly, now becoming guarded. "And what about it? What business is that of yours?"

Emma is taken aback by his confrontational manner. "I…I'm sorry. I just…"

"What? Ye have a problem with me going down there to see her? I am a free man, I can go as I please…or at least I thought…"

"Of course you are! I just feel you are going to her for the wrong reasons."

His eyes widen, but still remain buried in a frown. "And those reasons would be?"

She shifts slightly, rubbing her hand nervously along the length of her arm. Once again, the wrong words come out. "I think that…you're going down there to tell her that you're not coming back to her…to force her with an ultimatum. Then maybe she'll leave her husband for you."

"I cannot believe this. First Jimmy and now ye!" He growls. Obviously Jimmy has been working in her favor without Emma's realizing.

"Which explains why you are looking for your old pipe!" She blurts out the first thought that comes to mind. "Just in case you stay?"

"I am still wondering why this is any of your business."

"Because you are my friend! I don't want you to get hurt!"

"Hurt?" He backs away and exits to her side. "What makes ye think I'll get hurt?"

She turns to face him. "Because, Davy. She's not going to leave her husband for you. If she wouldn't do it ten years ago, she's not going to do it now!"

"With all due respect, Emma, ye do not know the full story, nor are ye fully aware of our history." He says defensively.

His words burn her soul. "I understand that. But I am also a woman and I know how women think."

"Oh! Enlighten me on the inner thoughts of the female mind!"

His tone is patronizing, it is her turn to become defensive. "She's using you as a toy. She doesn't care for you. She wants her wealth with her husband and she wants her fun with you!"

"Huh. Is that so? Is that what it has been without me knowing?"

"I believe so. And I believe you deserve better than that." Her voice rises to emphasize the point.

"Really? Ye've only known me for a few months and ye already know what's best for me?"

"I'm not saying that! I just think you deserve to be with someone who will love you for…"

"Oh! And you think this person exists! Someone who could actually love this?" He gestures with his hand, sweeping it down the length of his beard.

"Yes! As a matter of fact, I…"

He interrupts by placing his hand in front of her face. "I appreciate your concern. But this issue does not involve ye, nor will it ever. I'd appreciate it if ye do not concern yourself with my personal matters in the future. This is none of your business. Now let's not leave this on a bitter note. I'd hate for it to end that way.

"Wait…end?"

Jones ignores her plea. "Now if you will excuse me, I have a plane to catch." He quickly turns, leaving his beard to sway angrily behind. He leaves her standing alone in the garage.

Once again she listens as he walks away from her. "But I love you…"


	15. Chapter 15: Good riddance

They arrive in the Barbados in the fading light of the day. A small fishing community where they always felt welcomed, they were raised here as boys when not out at sea. The people trusted them and because it was a small community, no one feared them because they were known by name. The reclusive Captain is well known for spending his money at the local tavern to relieve the stress of his day. The bosun spends his money there as well, lavishing his attention upon the women who work there, hoping to receive their affections in return. The coxswain was and is responsible for fetching supplies for the ship at the local nautical supplies store. Yes, their presence is welcome for they give a slight boost to the area's businesses when they arrive.

Seven years ago, the Captain decided that he no longer wanted to transfer cargo and passengers between the islands of the Caribbean. 'No profit in it for me', he said. And he walked off the ship, leaving command to the next in line. This ship, the _Prestige_, was widely known for her name being apt. For she had a reputation of greatness. She was slower than some of the newer ships in the ocean, but could carry plenty in her massive cargo hold. Her previous captain, the honorable Captain Samuel Jones, made sure that a delivery was always made on time, and any passengers always arrived early. This was something that Captain Davy Jones would strive to maintain for his twenty years of authority. So it was a complete surprise to his crew when he decided to 'swallow the anchor'.

The _Genesis_ was a pleasure ship owned by the same man who took them in. When Davy left his post on the _Prestige_, he decided that he'd prefer to spend the rest of his days sailing around the world in the little ketch. He wasn't surprised when Jimmy and Niko followed him, they were as shocked as the rest of the crew, but their loyalties will always lie square with Davy.

Being a traditional sailor, raised among the sails, Davy refused to trade in the _Prestige_, an antique brigantine replica, for a modern steel cargo ship with a noisy engine. There would be more profit in her being used for tourism, so discussing the manner with someone interested in using her for this purpose, he sold her for a handsome profit and focused his attention on the neglected _Genesis_. His years aboard the _Prestige_, trying to make enough money to keep her afloat, left the little ketch on the back burner.

"Ah, hell. We got a lot of work ahead of us." With a critical eye, Niko grumbles as he examines the molluscan graveyard that has encrusted the hull. She's been out of the water for years and is practically begging to be placed in her element again.

"Ye mean YE have a lot of work ahead of ye." Jimmy chuckles coldly. "I've got some ladies to attend to."

"If ye can call them that." Niko turns back to the ship. "I can't get her seaworthy on my own!" He says as his Captain rounds the corner of the bow, he sends his adoptive father a look pleading for support.

"No. But ye can get a head start!" Davy grumbles as he hands over a paint scraper.

"And may I inquire as to what I am supposed to do with this?" Niko asks, staring down at the instrument.

Jimmy steps forward and flicks the gaping jaws of a dried out but firmly attached mussel with a finger. "Have fun."

Niko stands there, his mouth agape. "One of these days…" He grumbles to himself.

* * *

Reaching the door of the tavern, Jimmy turns to see the Captain continuing his travels. "Where are ye off to?" He can hear the familiar laughter of a few of his favorite providers and finds himself cursing beneath his breath for noticing Davy's change in direction. "Evelyn isn't expecting ye for another hour and I know there are a few ladies in here would be happy to receive your money." He laughs.

Davy stops in his tracks, his feet stirring up the dust from the sandy road beneath them. "I've got some thinking to do."

"I suppose ye do." Jimmy says, reflecting on the last image he saw before they left their recent home, Emma running to him with swollen tears falling from her eyes. A part of him wants to lash out and yell, '_what the hell were ye thinking_?', but he knows well enough what the Captain's response would have been.

Gathering sarcasm from the comment, Davy's defenses rise. "Am I to assume ye have some advice ye'd like to force down my throat?"

"Aye. But not at this moment." He points at the sound of the feminine laughter. "Just know that I think ye are making a big mistake."

"What I do with my life is none of your business either!" He hisses his response as the only street light flickers on above them.

"No, 'tis not." He places his hand on the door, no longer capable of fighting off his urges. "But ye made her cry. Think about that while yer on top of Evelyn."

Davy turns around to viciously scold his subordinate but finds him vanishing into the arms of his awaiting mistresses. They'll be paid well tonight and plenty of drinks will go around. He suppresses the urge to yell in anger and turns around in the darkness, heading toward the usual meeting place.

* * *

He works throughout the night, sweating in the tropical heat as more debris falls from the hull to the ground. Occasionally, a profane word escapes his lips when he realizes the other two are out having fun while he toils over this tedious job. He forces himself to work faster, knowing it will get him out of here sooner. The only thing on his mind is getting back home to Karine. So while his superior officers play with their women, he imagines rolling through the sheets with Kay to help pass the time.

"Hello, Nikolas."

A familiar Bajan accented voice sends chills up his spine, the voice of the last person he ever wants to see.

"Hello, Emily." He says without turning to face his ex fiancé.

"I saw Jimmy at the tavern. I figured I'd find you here." She walks into the light of his lantern.

Bitter feelings begin to bubble within his inner core. "Well, ye found me. What do ye want?"

Her curly ebony hair falls into her face, hiding her dark eyes for a second. She catches his eye before he quickly looks away. "You left in such a hurry so long ago. You didn't give me a chance…"

"A chance to do what? Come up with a lousy excuse for cheating on me?" Niko goes back to scraping the hull, this time with increased strength brought on by anger.

"To apologize." She says after an awkward moment of listening to the scraping along the hull. "I'm sorry, I hurt you."

"Apology accepted." Niko says without emotion.

"No it's not. I know you…"

"No, you do not. You know nothing of me. I am not the same naïve fool that puts up with infidelity." He turns and glares at her through the darkness.

"You were never a fool. I was the fool for allowing myself to stray. I never should have let you go." She takes a few steps towards him, examining the bare skin of his shirtless chest.

"It's a little late for this. Don't ye think?" He says, feeling uncomfortable for being in her gaze. "It never should have happened and I never should have put up with it."

"You're right. And I'm sorry."

He examines her from head to toe, checking for sincerity. "I told ye. Apology accepted." He goes back to his task, hoping she'll leave.

Instead, she walks over and takes a seat on the wooden saw horse. Her long legs fold into a delicate crossing, exposing the upper parts of her thighs under her short skirt. Her exposed midriff with jeweled belly ring remind him of the moments when he worshiped her body, kissing every inch of her silky, dark skin. She is a vixen, built solely for seducing the opposite sex. "I have missed you. And I've thought about you every day since." She offers.

"And unfortunately I've been forced to think of you every day since." He grumbles. "Why are ye really here, Emily?" He turns to her, flinging his arms to his sides.

"I told you. I'm sorry, and I miss you." She stands and walks over to him, placing her hands on the muscles of his chest. "Can't we just move on? Let the past stay where it belongs?"

He backs away and snickers. "Ye just don't get it. Do ye? I don't want to be with ye anymore. I know ye aren't use to rejection, so this must sting for ye. But I've moved on…I'm seeing someone else."

She shifts and places a hand on her hip. "Someone else?" She struggles to grasp this concept.

"Yeah. 'Cause apparently another woman could love this face." He growls. "But ye never loved me to begin with, so…" He reaches up and peels off another dried out mollusk with his fingers.

"I do love you!" She pouts. "So who is she anyways?"

"A beautiful and wonderful woman who would never stray." He leans in, gritting his teeth.

She laughs. "Don't be so sure of that. You're not with her right now; you can't see what she's doing."

"She's not a whore like ye…"

Emily's mouth drops in disgust. "How dare you!"

"Truth hurts, doesn't it? So what diseased vermin are ye sleeping with now?" He says with a smile as he goes back to scraping.

"I came here to make up with you, not to be treated like garbage!"

"Well now ye know how it feels…" He turns around and stares at her, one eyebrow raised.

She backs away and takes in a breath. "Okay. I get it. You're angry. And you have every right to be." She pauses. "I was angry when it happened to me too."

His hands fall down as he turns around with a quizzical look upon his face, the spines on his cheek flaring out as he's trying to maintain composure. "So the guy ye left me for did the same thing to ye that ye did to me?"

"Yes." She leans in slightly looking for sympathy.

His eyes scan the darkness and he bursts into a fit of laughter. "What goes around comes around, love! If they'll do it with ye, they'll do it to ye, as my father always says. I always did believe in karma!" He cannot contain the smile forming on his face.

"You asshole! You aren't the Niko I remember!" She hisses at him.

"Yer right. I'm not. And it's yer fault. Yer behavior changed me into the cynic I am today." He walks over to her.

"It's amazing what power I have over you." She takes his smooth cheek in her hand and guides him to her lips. "We always had great makeup sex. Remember?"

He leans in to her, and pauses less than an inch from her face so she can feel his breath on her skin. "Goodbye, Emily." Pulling away, he puts a knuckle to his brow and salutes. "It has NOT been a pleasure knowing ye. Have fun fucking yer way to an STD!" He calls to her as she storms down the wharf. He turns back to the ship and continues his task, laughing as she tells him off. Once more, a smile creeps across his face as freedom overwhelms him, "That felt good!" He exclaims as he realizes that he is rid of her forever. "Good riddance!"


	16. Chapter 16: Only hope

During the past two days, the Captain has spent his time working on repairs, mending the hull and cleaning his disarrayed cabin. This is more work than he is accustomed to, though he is perfectly capable of doing so. He's just used to people doing it for him. It's been many years since he's done the labor of a lower ranking officer but still finds pride in his tasks. Davy released a hearty laugh when he was informed of Emily's departure. Slapping the coxswain on the back, he scoffed, 'looks good on 'er, son!'

Jones stands at the helm now, polishing the brass to a radiant shine that meets his perfectionist standards. Watching the sun as it slowly sinks, he counts the moments left until Evelyn gets off of work, when they will meet for another night of passion.

"Bosun off the starboard bow." Niko announces sarcastically.

Davy looks up from the smooth and weathered wood of the wheel and instantly remembers that he has some words to say to his lesser in command. His last words were not exactly to the standards that Davy is used to receiving. Not only that, he made an agreement with the bosun before they arrived. The first night he could say goodbye to the women in the tavern, and then it is down to business once he gets back from being with Grace during the day. The bosun has not been keeping his word.

Jimmy climbs aboard and instantly puts a critical eye to Niko's work. He leans over a line and sends him a dirty look. "How in the bloody hell do ye expect such a slack line as this to pass my inspection? Fix the damn thing!" He glares at the coxswain and gives him a sharp smack on the back of the head.

Niko rubs the spot and grumbles to himself. "Aye, Corporal Punishment."

"I thought my name was Major Pain?" Jimmy announces aloud.

Squirming slightly because his derogatory nicknames for the bosun were not to be found out, he looks for an escape route. "No, that's the Captain."

Jimmy snickers as he heads over to the helm where his Captain sends him dirty looks. He fights the urge to ask what it's for, but the deck beneath his feet reminds him of his place. Picking up some loose line, he begins to coil it in his hands. "She's coming along well."

"No thanks to ye!" Niko blurts out.

"Excuse me?" Jimmy growls in his direction.

"He'd be correct. Ye've been off gallivanting." Davy says as he polishes.

"As was our agreement. I spend the days with Grace and ye have the evenings and nights with Eve." Jim reminds his brother and superior of their verbal contract.

"Yes, that _was_ our agreement, however, ye've been gone day **and **night…"

"Can ye blame me, sir? Ye as of late seem to have women swarming around ye, that is not going to happen for me. I take my opportunities when they come."

Without response, Davy shows his disgust by throwing his polishing cloth on the deck.

"Ah. Yer just pissed because I told ye what ye didn't want to hear." Jimmy nods.

"No. I am pissed because ye have been slack lately, not showing the respect that I deserve as Captain!" He storms towards Niko, inspects the retied line and nods with approval.

"I apologize for my behavior, sir. But I can only tell ye what ye need to hear. As a trusted friend and brother."

"Why all of a sudden does everyone feel they know what's best for me?" Davy bellows, throwing his arms in the air.

"Because yer being a stubborn ass." Niko mumbles, loud enough for Davy to hear. He looks away as he receives a cold, hard glare.

"Do NOT speak to me in such a manner, boy." Davy growls.

"Ye made her cry." Jimmy finally builds the courage to say the words again, this time with much more force and anger.

Davy storms over to the bosun. "She cries at commercials! Em was trying to control me! Just like ye are now!"

"She was trying to tell ye the truth. But ye wouldn't hear it." Niko's voice floats from behind them.

"And what truth would that be?" The Captain says with a clenched fist, desperately hanging on to his rage.

"My God, Sir! Ye can't see that the girl is crazy about ye? All she wants is to be with ye!" Jimmy leans in to press the issue further.

"She…does not…"

"Sir. With all due respect, Emma Grace was trying to tell ye how she feels." Niko adds calmly as he continues with another line.

"There is NO respect here! This conversation should not be happening!" Davy pushes past the bosun and heads to the ladder.

"Yer making the biggest mistake of yer life. There aren't too many women that are willing to accept us for what we are. And yer about to lose yer only chance." Jimmy calls after him.

"She is not the only chance. I have Evelyn." Davy growls as he swings a leg over the rail.

"Do ye? Ask her tonight how she truly feels. Ask her to leave her husband, just ask her." Jimmy challenges.

"The two of ye can fuck off!" He yells as he disappears down the ladder.

"Oh, that bastard is intolerable!" Jimmy growls and kicks the bulwark with a heavy foot. "Dumb as fucking bricks!"

Niko nods. "Yup. Without a doubt."

Jimmy takes a deep breath and forces himself to calm down. "Have ye heard from Karine lately?"

"Aye, this morning. Why?"

"How's Emma?"

"Not good. I told ye we shouldn't have pushed her into it."

"Nigh." Jimmy runs a hand over his face, feeling guilty for causing the girl's anguish. "He screwed it up, not us. He just needs to find out the hard way."

Niko watches as the bosun goes over and slides his back down the bulwark and takes a seat on the deck. He nods with reflection. "I still think yer going out of yer way, mate. And for that?" He points at the shrinking silhouette of the Captain.

"I'm doing what's best for Emma. I've said that before, and I won't say it again." He gives him a warning glare, and then goes back to staring at the deck.

Now it is clear to Niko that Jimmy has feelings for Emma. Normally he just wouldn't care this much or get so involved. That's not his way. But because he cares for her, he's willing to do anything to make her happy. Even if it ruins any chances he may have with her. Niko walks over and leans on the rail next to him, contemplating the night ahead. "Well, I expect His Royal Crankiness will be back in an even more horrible mood if Evelyn tells him what we know she will."

* * *

He rolls over in bed, feeling the anger and stress leave his body in a long, labored sigh. He released all his fury into her body. For years now, she has reserved a private cottage on her husband's resort, just for them.

This is their private get-away in plain sight. If her husband cared about her infidelities, he would have stopped this long ago. A loveless marriage based on finances, neither spouse cares about each others indiscretions. Her only warning was to hide the affair, as to not embarrass her husband with being cuckolded by the likes of Jones.  
_  
She is a marvelous creation_, Jones thinks to himself as he watches her nude body travel to the washroom. _Deserving of all the love and devotion possible to give_.

She's tall and slender, with mousy blonde hair just past her shoulders. Quiet and reserved, she is a lady of class, way out of his league, as he has always known. They met eleven years ago, at the tavern where she just happened to visit for the first time that night. She was looking for relief, looking for the attention and affection she wasn't receiving at home.

At first, she avoided him. That seemed normal to him, most women avoid his presence. But as the weeks passed and once she had a few drinks in her, she gathered the courage to talk to him. She showed him great compassion for his life, and he returned it for her sour new marriage. Before they both knew it, they were lying on the beach naked, rolling around in the sand. He left her directly after that, expecting she would regain her senses once sober and be horrified to have slept with him. Only prostitutes come calling back. So when she came to him the next day, looking for more, the rest became history.

The past few days haven't been any different, passionate sex to relieve both their urges. It had been so long since they've lain together. While they both have other sources for carnal release, the preference was strictly placed on each other. She gave him acceptance, he gave her intense passion. They both receive what they crave.

He listens to her movements while she's in the bathroom, and a statement Emma said a few days ago suddenly echoes through his memory. How she reminded him of something he had buried long ago, that Evelyn was merely using him for her own pleasure. '_She's washing me off to go back to him_,' He thinks to himself as he hears the water turn on. This statement flows through his mind like the rising tide, it floods him with sadness. A thick knot forms in his stomach and it forces him to sit up in bed. His mind races as he considers everything that has happened over the last few days. He buries his face in his hands, confused by the conflicting emotions boiling inside.

"My love, are you okay?"

Her voice distracts him and looking up from his thoughts, he smiles slightly to see her standing there. But his stomach twists upon itself once he sees she is dressed and ready to leave. "Fine." He states flatly.

"Are you sure? You seemed distracted tonight." She takes a seat next to him on the bed, putting a diamond earring back in place.

He looks over to her, his eyes full of sorrow. "Evelyn. Do ye love me?"

She looks away quickly and then looks back. "Davy. You know I care for you."

"Care?" These aren't the words he was hoping for.

"Yes, deeply. I couldn't survive my marriage without you." She laughs as she replaces the other earring.

Her truth stings him."Evelyn. Ye deserve far better. We've been hiding this for more than ten years and yet everyone knows. Leave him and come with me." He reaches over and takes her hand, holding it tightly within his grasp.

"Davy." She removes her hand. "You know I can't. We've been through this." She stands up and walks across the room.

"So after ten years, I'm leaving and ye have no regrets? No desire to take this further?"

"I still don't understand why you have to leave. I mean, we need each other."

"Ah, for sex ye mean." He grumbles the blunt truth.

"Well, that's why we got together. Look, I don't want you to leave, but I cannot leave my husband. How would it look?" Her hazel eyes seem to contain a hint of sarcasm.

His brow sinks and he lowers his head. "Holy hell, she was right." He mutters.

"What?"

"I suppose it would be dreadful for ye to leave your husband for the likes of me." He reaches down and grabs his jeans from the floor. "I understand. A woman of your caliber couldn't possibly be seen in public with a monster like me." He slides his legs into his pant legs and rises to his feet.

"Don't talk like that. You know that's not what I mean." She walks over to wrap her arms around his bare torso.

"Then stop hiding me! If ye cared at all about me, ye would leave him. Ye know that's all I ever wanted! If ye cared for me at all, ye'd want to be with me."

"My family would never accept us…"

Pulling away, he sighs as he slides his shirt over his arms. The cool fabric provides comfort against his still heated skin. "Ye know. It's fine. Because I will survive without ye. But just know that I would have loved ye beyond anything ye ever could have imagined. I would have given ye the world." He leans in and kisses her cheek. "And someday ye will realize that this is all ye need."

"Davy! Don't do this! After all these years, don't end it like this!" She calls after him as he walks out the door into the darkness.

"No, Evelyn. Ye are choosing to end it like this." He glances at her for one final time and turns to walk away into the night. She calls his name in vain but he continues walking, alone.

* * *

The waves crash along the shore as he travels. Having left in a hurry, he walks barefoot in the cool sand, the occasional wave flowing over his feet as if it is desperate to wash away the pain. Hanging his head low, he batters himself with abusive thoughts. '_I'm so foolish for ever thinking she loved me. After all I did for her over the years. She couldn't even return the favor_.' He says to himself as he travels in shame. '_I suppose I should consider it well enough that she didn't lie to keep me here. How could I have ever allowed myself to think she'd love me? No one loves me…_"

He stops where he stands, completely in shock, as if a hand smacked him upside the head. All of a sudden, he realizes that his words are untrue as he remembers what Jimmy and Niko said earlier. "Emma!" His jaw drops. "Oh, shit! How could I have not realized?" His hand finds his way to his forehead in the darkness.

He fumbles for his pocket watch, the starlight above revealing that it would be two in the morning where she is. He struggles with the notion of calling her at such an ungodly hour. His last words to her were so harsh; he may have missed his only chance to be with her. An image of her smiling face floats through his mind and he finally realizes that this is something he wants to see for the rest of his life. He races off towards the _Genesis_.

* * *

"Hey…hey, wake up!"

Niko snorts as he's disturbed from a deep sleep after being prodded with fingers, his eyelids fluttering heavily in an attempt to stay open. "Huh? Wah?"

Davy examines the other bunk and sees that the bosun is not in it. He instantly knows that he went to the tavern. No time to worry about that. "Where's your phone?"

"In my coat pocket." Niko grumbles as he repositions himself with his back to the Captain.

Fumbling through the pockets, he finds the phone and smiles to himself. Turning around to exit the cabin, Niko calls to him. "Yer welcome. And it's about time ye figured it out. Ye just better pray she still wants ye."


	17. Chapter 17: Take me away

Jones fumbles through some of his personal belongings in the dark. Suddenly, he catches the scent of her on the night air. His eyes find one of his shirts, laden with the sweet aroma of her perfume.

_Emma_.

Her name brings a smile to his face. It always has, but now it holds a promise of something more. Deciding he has procrastinated long enough, he swallows his fear, forgets what he was searching for and heads toward the privacy of the empty shore.

What time would it be there now? He squints at the pocket watch she bought him for Christmas. Crap...three in the morning? Is it too late to call her, or is too late period? He lashes at himself mentally for making such a huge mistake. He should have listened to her...should have listened to his heart instead of his fear and foolish pride.

To be his girlfriend, Emma would be opening herself up to criticism and torment that she is not accustomed to. He has learned to deal with the judgment that comes his way because of his appearance, but she is soft-natured and protective of him. She would ultimately be hurt because of him, something he cannot stand to think about. He wouldn't dream of causing her harm - even if he's presently doing so - but it is for her own protection. Or so he thought. Now he is hurting her more by protecting her from his fears.

Staring down at the illuminated buttons of the cell phone, he contemplates the response he is going to receive. Will she see his number and ignore it? Will she be mad at him for waking her up at such an ungodly hour? Will she be grateful and happy to hear his voice? He swallows hard and begins to dial her number.

Meanwhile, over two thousand miles north, Emma lies in bed, staring at the ceiling. Her mind races and will not allow her to sleep. How could it have gone so wrong? They were best friends and now he doesn't even seem to care that she exists. She knew this was how it would turn out, she was foolish for listening to the boys when they told her to tell him how she felt. She knew he would get scared and run off. He's not used to women making advances toward him.

Her phone rings and she jumps with fright. "Who the hell is that?" She lifts her head and looks at the clock, ten after three. She turns on the light and sees the caller ID. "What the heck is Niko calling for at this time?" She grumbles and answers the phone.

Silence.

"Hello?" She repeats.

"Em..."

Her heart begins to pound upon recognizing Davy's voice. Instead of screaming 'oh I'm so glad to hear from you', she decides to give him the cold shoulder. "Davy, do realize what time it is?"

"Yes, but I had to call ye. It couldn't wait."

"Okay."

More silence. "Okay, what?"

"You have something to say?" Emma falls back on the pillow, frustrated and exhausted by this man she just can't figure out.

"Right! Well, I am calling to say that I am indeed an asshole." He says flatly, hoping to hear her laugh on the other end.

Emma's eyes open. "You woke me up to tell me something I already know?"

The phone captures the sound of crashing waves behind him. "Yes...NO! What I meant to say is...dammit, this shouldn't be so hard." He pauses to take a deep breath to expel the stress. "I am calling to apologize. I was stubborn and foolish and..."

"And a jerk, and selfish and inconsiderate..." Emma interrupts.

"Yes..." Jones finds himself becoming impatient but realizes he deserves this. "All that too. Ye were trying to tell me something and I did not listen. And that doesn't make me a very good friend."

Emma sighs at the last word he spoke. "Friend."

"I am sorry for not listening to ye." He pauses to clear his throat. "I would like to make it up to ye. If ye would allow me to."

Emma sits up in her bed. "How are you planning on making this up to me? Because you realize I will never let you live this down."

Jones laughs at the blunt truth she delivers. "Oh, I am well aware of that fact. I was thinking, that maybe I was too quick to let ye go. I didn't want ye to get hurt by people tormenting ye for being with me. I wanted to protect ye, and yet, I ended up hurting ye anyway."

"Davy, you can't spend your time worrying about what other people are going to say and do, you just have to live your life and forget about them. I am an adult, I can handle myself. Anybody who can't see you for who you are is completely blind and it's their loss."

Jones finds himself smiling at her optimistic viewpoint. "So ye forgive me then?"

"Maybe. What happened to Evelyn?"

He pauses and once again remembers how she had tried to warn him about his former lover. "Ye were right. I should have listened."

Emma finds herself hurting for him, even if it is to her advantage that he was scorned. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. But you don't deserve to be treated like that."

"So do ye forgive me?"

"Yes." She smiles at his persistence.

"So...maybe now that I've had some sense knocked into me...maybe we can see where this will take us?"

Emma swallows hard, not believing she is about to say this to him. "Davy, there's nothing I want more in this world, but I can't be your second choice."

Davy's heart skips a beat. "No! Ye are not my second choice, ye are the only one I choose. No one has ever been so kind and loving to me, and I was blind to that. But now I see it! I want nothing to do with her! Ye have to believe me. I made a stupid mistake, but it lead me back to ye, where I've always belonged." He closes his eyes tightly, hoping he can find the words to convince her and somehow the Lord above will show her that he is sorry.

She sits in silence, listening to the crashing waves and contemplating the desperation in his voice. Perhaps he has suffered long enough. "Are you coming back?"

"Will ye have me?" Davy opens his eyes, feeling like a little boy receiving a present.

She laughs softly. "Yes."

"**YES**!" He sends a victorious fist towards the sky.

Emma pulls the phone away from her ear to escape the volume of his shout. "Oww!"

"Sorry!"

"You're adorable." She laughs again. "When are you coming back?"

"I'd leave immediately if I could! I'd swim back to ye if I would make it!"

She smiles widely at the thought.

"The ship is almost finished. If we hurry, we can set sail within a day or two."

"Okay," she pauses and finds herself saddened to think that they still have to sail back which could take two weeks or longer. She'd give anything to hold him and kiss him right now. "Please be careful coming back. I'd like it if you were returned to me in the condition I left you."

Jones smiles, happy to hear her concern for his well being has returned. He was beginning to think she would sink him herself if she could. "I will, don't ye worry about me. Look, I don't want to keep ye awake any longer, I'll call ye in the morning?"

Emma laughs. "It is the morning. You expect me to sleep after this?"

"Aye, I don't think I'll be getting much sleep either." He runs his hand over his head, realizing that this friendship is quickly going to blossom into something he's always dreamed about.

* * *

Emma impatiently paces back and forth on the dock. Every couple of seconds her eyes dart towards the opening of the harbor, hoping to see the ketch rounding the island point. Niko had called to give them an estimate of their arrival time, and now they are running behind the time that was given.

"You're going to burn a hole in the dock if you don't stop pacing." Karine laughs as she watches her friend pass by her yet again.

"Oh, don't even act like you're not anxious to see Niko!" Emma points out.

"Yes, but I'm handling it better."

"Kay. I'm so excited, yet I am so nervous to see him! I'm scared it's going to be awkward."

"You've been talking to him daily, has he been awkward?"

Emma pauses to think about their most recent conversations. He has become more flirtatious with her, teasing her in a way he never has. He speaks of his excitement to see her. "No, same ol' Davy. Just sweeter." She smiles at the thought.

"So you're worried it will be awkward for you?"

"Gah! It shouldn't be!" Emma returns to her furious pacing. "I've been planning this day for so long, I've dreamt of finally being able to kiss him for months now. But what happens if we end up alone together and...nothing happens? We can't get past being just friends?"

Kay laughs at her friend's anxiety. "I think you are over analyzing the situation. But then again you've had entirely too much time to think about it."

"Have I ever!" Emma turns on her heels and looks up. Her eyes squint to focus on the bow of a ship coming around the point. Her pulse quickens. She runs over and grabs the binoculars before Kay has a chance to reach for them.

"Hey!" Kay laughs as her hand is knocked out of the way.

Her heart begins to beat wildly as she reads the ship's name, the _Genesis_. "It's them!" Emma shrieks with excitement.

Twenty minutes pass before the ship travels close enough to be docked. Niko appears at the bow with coiled lines in his arms. He sends them a quick salute, "hello ladies!" He shouts down to them, "clear the way!"

"Clear the way? What does he mean by that?" Kay asks aloud and then gasps to see her lover climbing over the rails of the ship. "Niko! Don't you dare jump! It's too far!" Her hands instinctively cover her mouth as she gasps when he leaps off the side and lands confidently on the dock. He quickly turns and gives the line a hard tug, directing the bow towards the rubber buoys hanging from the dock. The _Genesis_ slides gracefully into the protective barriers as Niko hurriedly ties the ship down. He then walks over, plants a firm kiss on Kay's lips and walks back toward the ship.

Emma laughs at her friend's flustered expression before turning her focus to the man standing at the helm. He stands there proudly, giving orders as he slowly guides the stern into its resting place.

He can feel her eyes on him, a warmth that he has missed since he left. He looks down at her through his sunglasses, and while she cannot see his exquisite blue eyes, Emma can feel them examining her intently in return. She finds herself fidgeting with excitement, but forces herself to stop in an attempt to not appear so eager.

She then catches the tail end of Kay's scolding. Niko responds in a jovial manner, "how else do ye want me to do it? I've been doin' it for years, love. I've jumped greater distances! Someone's gotta tie the boat down, it just so happens to be me!"

Jim lowers the gangway and it lands heavily on the dock. "We're not lucky enough for him to misplace his step and end up on the wrong side of the keel." He growls as he leaves the ship. "Lord knows I've wanted that fate for years..." He removes his sunglasses and smiles a toothy grin at Emma. "Well, aren't ye a sight for sore eyes."

"Hi sweetie!" Emma beams a loving smile and feels so glad to be crushed in his arms once again. She had been so preoccupied with Davy that she hadn't realized how much she missed her other companions. She places a soft kiss on his grizzled cheek and whispers a sweet "thank you" in his ear. Emma knows that without his brutish influence, Davy may never have realized what he could have lost.

"How about a tour?" Davy interrupts the group's reunion. He removes his sunglasses and focuses on Emma. "Then we'll take ye for a sail around the lake."

Emma sends him the same smile she gave Jimmy. She looks back at Kay who seems to be as excited about the prospects of sailing in the _Genesis_.

As she starts up the gangway, Davy's hand protectively reaches for Emma's. They connect and butterflies jumble inside Emma's stomach. They gaze at each other for what feels like years of bliss before he helps her into the boat. He reaches down to embrace her, lifting her off the deck. Holding on just as tightly, she happily inhales the scent of his sun-kissed skin and cologne for the first time in weeks.

The boys proudly show Emma and Karine around their ship. They point out all their hard work as well, just so the girls know of the arduous hours they put in to bring the ship back to her former glory. When Jim and Niko wander ahead with Kay, Davy takes his opportunity. Leaning in from behind, he whispers in Emma's ear, "I have a surprise for ye."

His lowered voice sends a tantalizing chill down her spine, the hairs on the back of her neck stand up at the feel of the heat from his breath. Again, he takes her hand, this time leading her below deck.

Her heart pounds wildly when he opens a door to what is obviously the captain's quarters. It's pace quickens when the door closes behind them. He gestures for her to take a seat on his bed. As she does, she notices how tidy and orderly the room is. Everything has its place. Typical Davy, she thinks to herself and smiles.

Jones turns around and opens a small wooden chest. He then turns to face her, holding a small burlap bag. He smiles, trying to find his words. "These are for ye."

Emma smiles up at him as she receives the gift, thanking him with her eyes.

"Pour it out." He points to the mattress.

She laughs. "Okay." She tips the bag and seashells of every size, shape and color fall out onto the bed.

He takes a seat next to her as she begins to examine each one carefully. He watches her as she does this, seeing her excitement over each little shell. It amazes him how something most people would take for granted actually means so much to this girl. Something so mundane has her completely spellbound. That is what he likes most about her, for this includes himself as well. When everyone else would disregard him, she turns and accepts him.

"Oh wow, this is a cone snail!" Her voice interrupts his examination of her smile. "I hope you were careful when you picked it up, it could have stung you if the snail was still inside."

"Hmm? Don't worry, I was careful. Ye like them? " He leans in closer to her. His mind wanders to her lips, should he kiss her? _No, it's best to take this slow. There's no need to rush this, it has to be perfect_.

"I love them." She turns without realizing his face is so close to hers. She blushes slightly when her lips almost brush his own. "They are beautiful."

He reaches up and cups her cheek in his hand. "Doesn't compare."

She leans heavily into his hand, kissing his palm softly. "Thank you." She smiles.

"I picked only the ones I thought ye'd like best and I cleaned them myself."

"That's very thoughtful of you." She is flattered at the idea of this man walking many miles along a beach, spotting a vacant shell here and there and thinking of her and what she'd prefer. She's receives a mental image of him studiously scrubbing the sand off of each one, making sure they are perfect. It's not just the thoughtfulness of the gift, but the time and effort he put into it that impresses her.

Jim's voice calls from above, suggesting they stop making out so they can set sail.

Davy's brow falls into a frown as Emma laughs at the boldness of the statement. She sighs and carefully places the shells back in the bag. She stands and smiles at him. Feeling herself blushing from his gaze, she looks down at the bag instead. "Thank you so much for these, you really do know me well."

Jones nods.

"I guess we should get up there, huh?" She turns to the door.

_It's now or never. Don't let her get away_, Jones thinks to himself. He reaches out and grabs her hand, causing her to spin around. She falls into his arms as he presses his lips to hers. Instantly, she melts and relaxes in his grasp. She allows him to explore her mouth for the first time, enjoying the taste and feel of his lips.

When he finally pulls away, she has to force her eyes open. She had dreamed of this moment for months and it was exactly as she had envisioned it. Passionate, tender and leaving her wanting more.

* * *

As the sun set, Jimmy served the meal he had prepared for them earlier that day. They feasted on sirloin steak smothered in a rich, creamy peppercorn sauce, roasted corn cobs slippery with butter and baked potatoes with garlic, bacon, melted cheese and chives. And with the ship anchored in the middle of the lake, they enjoyed each others company while sipping on wine and laughing at everything that has happened in the last few weeks. How it was once such a disaster and now such bliss.

Every now and then the Captain and Emma would slip below deck. One would go first, the other would follow shortly behind to mask their true intentions. Once, Emma had innocently gone below to retrieve a new bottle of wine and quickly found herself pinned against the wall under the weight of her new lover as he passionately kissed her lips. An hour later, they found themselves tangled on his bed, hands beginning to wander to places never exposed to each other before.

Now as the _Genesis _is being docked for the final time that night, Kay corners her friend for details. "It certainly isn't awkward like you thought it would be!" She laughs with excitement.

"It certainly is not." Emma smiles softly, watching Davy as he cleans up the remainders of their dinner.

"So..." Kay looks in the same direction that her friend now gazes. "We're heading back." She then nods in the direction of her boyfriend.

Emma's smile disappears. Instantly she becomes nervous and Kay can see it.

"Honey, Davy would not force you to do anything you're not ready for, you know that." She places a supportive hand on Emma's shoulder. Niko calls to her. "There's no rush."

Emma watches as Jimmy departs alongside Niko. Kay walks up to Davy and gives him a hug and says goodnight.

Her blood flows faster as Davy walks toward her. "Well," he says with a smile that seems hypnotic in the moonlight. "It has been a long day."

"You must be tired." She reaches out to run her hand down his arm. His skin has become cool in the night air.

"Aye. I am going to head off to bed." He pauses to examine her carefully. For the third time today, he extends his hand to her. "Ye can come with me if you like. But only if ye want to."

It then occurs to her that there is nowhere else she would rather be. Her anxiety melts away. She reaches out and takes his hand and follows him to his room.


	18. Chapter 18: New life

Emma opens her eyes to a brand new day. The room is chilled with the spring morning air despite the sun now rising in the sky. She closes her eyes tight. Maybe last night was a dream.

_If I just keep my eyes closed I won't wake up!_

She can hear the sound of his peaceful breathing. _No, it is best to open your eyes to make sure it is Davy by your side and this ISN'T a fantasy_! Cautiously prying one eyelid open, she focuses on his face which is peaceful and serene with sleep. It is then her mind is flooded with all the memories of last night. How he took her in his arms like she has always wanted and how he never let her go. Everything remains vivid. The sights, sounds, tastes and smells of newly formed passion between two lovers. He possessed her last night and she was happy for it.

She reaches over and gently runs her fingertips along his cheek. She smiles when one lazy eyelid lifts, allowing her a glimpse of at least one of those precious blue eyes. Smiling in return, he reaches over and pulls the blanket up to cover her exposed shoulder. He then pulls her body into his own, which provides more warmth and comfort than any blanket ever could.

"Good morning." She whispers before she begins pressing feather light kisses to his forehead.

He exhales, placated and well rested after last night's endeavors. "Mornin'." He presses into her, making sure his face is gently nuzzled into the curve of her neck - the same neck he made sure to kiss and caress passionately the night before. Another sigh, as if finally pleased with his life now, "sleep well?"

Emma giggles slightly, teasing his skin by gently running her fingers along the broad expanse of his back, "yes, when I was allowed to sleep. You?"

Jones snorts. "Yes. What can I say? Ye tempt me." His mind flashes back to recall last night and how they had fallen asleep after hours of passionate love making. Later, when they both turned over in a sleep induced daze and realizing what they had recently become, it had started all over again. Just the sight of her in his bed was enough to cause his blood to quicken in his veins. He had to have her again.

A heavy yawn escapes him, "so what are we on now?"

"Four." Emma offers the tally and can feel the smile forming on his face next to her flesh.

Jones emits a casual laugh, "that's a record for me."

"Glad I could help."

His eyes open. "Don't act like ye are innocent in all this." He pulls away to look down at her. "Ye my dear, are quite the surprising one."

"Oh? Were you expecting me to be bad?" Emma reaches out and tugs on a tentacle.

"No," he chooses his words carefully, "I just wasn't expecting ye to be quite the vixen."

"Never judge a book by it's cover."

"Hmm, perhaps I can peruse the pages again?" He leans in to kiss her collar bone.

"Okay, but I'm not going to be able to walk." She laughs.

Jones pulls back again, sending her a naughty grin. "Best compliment ever."

* * *

They had tried to sneak back to the house without being noticed. Unfortunately, Niko and Karine were sitting out on the patio, enjoying the morning sun. Emma knew she would have to deal with some tormenting from Niko, but thankfully was soon pulled away by Kay for all the juicy details.

After breakfast – and more teasing from Niko about Davy's previous blunder now remedied – the couple retreated to the shower together. Jones finds himself to be amazed to be viewing her naked body, how soft and luscious it appears in the daylight. Secretly he had often wondered how she would be in this state, but now finds the reality far better than any daydream.

She steps out of the shower, towel dries and puts on his shirt from last night. She buttons the top, while leaving the bottom open, exposing the slight roundness of her belly. She turns and sends him a wicked smile while leaving him standing there, wanting more.

"Ye know, there's nothing sexier to a man than to see his girl wearing his shirt." He says slyly when he walks into her room.

She grins, examining the towel that loosely hangs around his waist. Last night, she finally got her chance to see what is now underneath it. While she had caught a glimpse of his sculpted stomach before, she hadn't realize that those toned muscles could be so intoxicating. Her hands had run along the chiseled planes of his body, enjoying its muscular curves. Especially those muscles that form his "V to the valley" along his hips. Dreamy. And the valley itself...divine.

He walks over and takes a seat next to her on her bed, noting how her creamy legs look inviting underneath the length of his shirt. A perfect blend of masculine meeting feminine. His eyes travel up the length of her torso, paying careful attention to the freedom of her breasts under the loose fabric.

"You are molesting me with your eyes, sir."

"Hmm?" Jones finally makes eye contact. He sends her a lazy, somehow innocent smile.

"I don't know..." She giggles when he leans in to kiss her neck, his touch setting her skin on fire. "You're very naughty now. You were so well behaved before. I'm going to have to rein you in."

He inhales, memorizing the scent of her freshly showered skin. "It's your own fault. Being so delicious and all. Of course, had I been intelligent enough to realize how delicious ye truly are beforehand, I would have been molesting ye long ago."

Emma contemplates his words. "Davy?"

"Hmm?" He continues to kiss her.

"Were you attracted to me, you know, before this?"

Jones pulls away to eye her carefully. "If ye knew how much I was, ye wouldn't ask me that."

"Sorry, but you hid it very well!"

"Ye are going to hang my stupidity over my head every chance ye get, aren't ye?"

"It's my God given right as a woman." She laughs and leans in to kiss his lips.

Jones clears his throat. "Can I tell ye something? Perhaps to save my own ass?"

"Anything."

"When I was first shown your picture, I was instantly attracted to ye. But because I respected ye...and that I'm an idiot...I hid my desires for ye. Honestly, that night we first met...ye have no idea how badly I wanted to sleep with ye."

Emma finds herself surprised by this information, but glad to hear it. He was attracted to her all along. "But it's a good thing we didn't, I suppose," she offers, "because then we may never have become friends, and maybe never a couple."

"Is that what we are now? A couple?" Jones leans back on the bed, seeming proud of the distinction. To know this girl now designates them as a pair is something he thought he'd never see for himself.

She stands and removes some of her own clothes from the closet. Leaning on the door frame, she smiles back at him, "I guess we are. But I must tell you something as well."

"Tell me."

"That night we first met...you have no idea how badly I wanted to sleep with YOU." Enjoying the surprised look on his face, she turns and leaves him to contemplate.

* * *

Deciding to avoid the world, Jim finds a secluded spot along the shoreline to escape the happiness that surrounds him. Everywhere he looks, smiling faces. It sickens him.

_At least Emma is happy_, he tells himself. The sight of the young girl with tears in her eyes caused a primal urge within him to scoop her up and protect her from the pain. He had desperately fought off the urge to say, 'screw him! He doesn't want ye, but I do. He doesn't see what an amazing girl ye are! And it's his loss.' But when she looked up at him and asked why Davy didn't want her and then informed Jimmy of how much she loved him, he knew he couldn't tell her. Her heart was set on someone else. Her pain was palpable and he did not want to be responsible for bringing more her way. To take advantage of the situation by throwing himself at such a vulnerable girl would have been easy in the past. But no one has ever been so kind to him before.

Except one other person.

His heavy hand reaches up to support his head. He had left the ship last night in a hurry, unwilling to watch Emma disappear below deck with the competition. Davy always had a way of winning over the ladies. A casual charm exudes from him that Jimmy always seems to lack. His past can be blamed for that.

His condition rendered him unwanted as an infant. He spent the first five years of his life in a research facility where he was treated like a lab rat. No parents, no affection and no hopes for a better life. Until the day someone forgot to lock the door and he ran away as fast as he could and never looked back. The rest of his childhood and early years were spent breaking his back as a sailor, all the while in the shadow of someone greater. Jimmy would never turn his back on his brother, the loyalty is too strong. But how that infuriating man could have won the girl while still being such an ass is a complete mystery to him now.

Through the years, when one would miss out on an opportunity with a girl, the other would swoop in and capitalize on the other's misfortune. That's just how it went. But not this time. Jones screwed up and still came out the victor!

Jimmy growls to himself with the thought. But no, there was one other girl Jones did not win over. Jimmy smiles when her name comes to mind. He had loved Grace with everything that he was. Instead of falling for Davy's charm, she walked right past and fell for Jimmy. Perhaps it was the vulnerability in him that she liked, or perhaps she just felt sorry for him. But she was a rare jewel amongst the stones for she accepted him as he was.

Two weeks ago, he watched as her petite form grew larger as she traveled along the beach. He could see the forced smile upon her face as her features become more visible. They both knew that this would be the last time they would ever see one another.

"Hi, baby." She smiles sweetly as she embraces him, her arms unable to close fully around his broad shoulders.

A few moments of silence slip by, no words need to be said for their eyes speak volumes. If only they could capture the precious seconds that pass and keep them always. He breaks their gaze and discovers that this is much more difficult than he thought it would be. The waves rush on shore in front of them, as if the ocean wants to take them away. Overhead, the leaves dance in the gentle breeze, dappled light escapes through the branches above. The blue sky does not match the clouds that build within them.

"Do you really have to leave?" Grace looks up to him, pleading with her eyes.

"Aye. I go where I'm needed." He says quietly.

"But I need you."

"Ye know this could never work, love. We can never be together."

"But we've been together for four years." She sighs.

"Ye know what I mean, love. Yer parents would never allow us to be together."

"But I'm an adult! I can make my own choices. They have no say over what I do."

"Ye go tell them that, then." Jimmy leans in to her. Her parents have a strong grasp on her; they control most of her life. Jimmy has been her only source of freedom. He examines the tormented look on her face, knowing she will not. "There's something I must know." He continues. "May I ask what brought ye to me in the first place?"

"I don't know. I just felt I had to know you. You amazed me, I guess." She smiles softly. "I remember the day I met you. It feels like it was just yesterday. And now you're leaving."

He leans in and kisses her cheek. "Who knows, maybe I'll be back someday. But I don't expect ye to wait for me."

"I'd wait forever for you."

"No…I just told ye…" He squeezes the bridge between his eyes with his fingers, finding this more difficult with each passing moment. "Ye need to move on, find a man that can provide for ye. Marry ye and give ye the children ye want."

"Why can't you do that?"

"Ye know why. Besides, ye deserve much better than me, love."

"There's no one better than you, no one I want more." She leans in to place her head into the curve of his neck.

"Yer making this extremely difficult…" He grumbles.

"Because it **is **extremely difficult, Jimmy. I don't want to lose you. I love…"

He interrupts her harshly. "Don't use those words. I told ye, we aren't allowed to use those words." He reminds her of their spoken agreement made years earlier; a promise not to tie each other down.

Pulling away from him, her deep russet hair falls into her face, hiding the tears that pool in her eyes. "How can you tell me not to feel what I feel?"

His fingers slide her locks behind an ear, and then catch a falling tear as it travels down her face. "It's for yer own good. Ye'll move on faster that way. I want what's best for ye. And that means ye have to get on with yer life."

"And what about you?"

"What about me?" Jimmy chuckles harshly.

"What are you going to do? Live the rest of your life alone?"

"It's not what I would choose, but it's what I have been appointed with since birth." He throws his gaze to the sand.

"No you haven't! I'm here! Clearly that means something! I don't care what you say, I love you!"

He takes a deep breath, fearing if he tells her the same that it will only cause more damage. Looking down at her, he tells her with his eyes. And seeing his urge to tell her the same, she recognizes his fear to say the words. "I know you love me." She whispers. "Please, Jim. Stay with me."

Now thousands of miles north from her, Jimmy repositions himself in his spot in the sand. It does nothing to relieve the discomfort he feels. He does not regret his decision. What choice did he have? Stay with her and be isolated from the only family he knows while being hidden from Grace's world. Or move up north permanently where he is loved and accepted but lonely. Either way, he is a loser in this deal.

A small hand reaches around his shoulder and he jumps from the touch. He turns to see Emma leaning over him, smiling down at him from where she stands. Unwilling to hear the details of her tryst with her new lover, he turns back to face the ocean.

"I was wondering where you disappeared to." She smiles as she takes a seat next to him. The sand has become warm and inviting in the midday sun.

"Where would I go?"

Emma reaches over and takes his hand. "I know this must be really hard for you. Niko has Kay and now I'm with Davy."

Jimmy snorts with sarcasm. "Ye have no idea, love."

"I didn't get the chance to thank you personally for helping me."

He looks over at her through the corner of his eye. He remains silent, allowing her to continue.

"You have no idea what it means to me to have you here. I know you may think that you're going to be the fifth wheel now, but you need to know that I still need you."

"Ha! Tell me exactly how. Ye have what ye wanted."

"Yes, I have my partner in Davy. I look to Niko as my brother...a highly annoying and tormenting brother, but I know he'll always be there to protect me. But you, Jimmy, I look to you as a father."

This catches his attention and he turns to face her.

"I don't have a father in my life. I don't have anyone who is there to guide me or support me in a fatherly way. I need that wisdom and protection. This is something Davy cannot do for me because he needs to be my partner. I need to know that someone else is going to be there for me when the rest of the world isn't. And I'd like to be there for you. I love all three of you, but I have a special connection with you." She squeezes his hand tight.

Jimmy finds himself rendered helpless by her statement. He was preparing himself for being left out and forgotten by Em now that she finally has Davy. Instead of being hurt by her innocent rejection, he is now amazed at the honor she is bestowing on him. "Ye really see me as a father?"

She nods and places her head on his shoulder. "Yes, I need you to kick Jones' ass when he gets out of line."

Jimmy laughs at being given such a privilege. "Yer quite capable of doing that on yer own, love!" He reaches his arm around her, once again crushing her in his strength.

And suddenly, the pain is gone. Emma is no longer that prize he lost, but the daughter he has gained.


	19. Chapter 19: Resistance

He watches as she walks ahead of him along the empty shoreline. Her diminutive footprints lead him towards her as if she's leaving a trail for him to follow. He'd follow her to the ends of the earth.

Emma bends over to pick up a seashell. She stops to consider it, brushing off the sand and then places it back on the shore where she found it.

Jones smiles. _Not good enough for her_, he thinks. His heart skips a beat when she turns to smile back at him. For the past few moments he had been watching her every move from behind, enjoying the subtle nuances of her feminine form, which he is now familiar with from every angle. And yet her simple gesture is enough to stop him in his tracks.

"You're falling behind." She comments over her shoulder.

He can barely make out her words over the crashing waves. "Just checking you out." He hollers ahead.

She stops and turns to face him, a quirky grin upon her face.

"Oh, ye heard that, huh?" Jones reaches her finally, placing his arm around her waist. He receives that same response every time he torments her, and he enjoys it no less than the time before. That smile can brighten a room as well as his life. It forces all the shadows into his past where they belong.

"You're lucky I love you."

Jones laughs. "Don't I know it!" Again he watches as she walks ahead, scanning the beach for any hidden biological treasures. Now he finds himself doing the same on their private walks, he keeps a careful eye out for beach glass of rare colors to add to her collection. The day he found a piece that was a brilliant shade of vermillion she had thrown her arms around his neck, telling him how rare this particular piece truly was. She blushed a similar shade when he informed her that she was far rarer than anything he's found.

Two nights prior, he found himself unable to hide the truth any longer. He had never felt this way about anyone before. Sure, he cared for Evelyn, but was never allowed to take it any farther. As he laid in Emma's arm after a night of passion, her fingers gently tracing along the broad expanse of his back with such tenderness, he lifted his head and informed her he had something to tell her. His heart pounding, he had never told anyone what he was about to tell her.

He saw the worry form on her face and reassured her it was something good. Jones wanted to say the right words, to make the moment perfect. Instead, his feelings escaped his lips as he told her he felt he was falling in love with her. His fingers caught a tear as it rolled down her cheek. She told him she had been waiting so long to hear those words from him and that she loved him as well.

Jones' mind wanders back to that night now. Everything has been moving so fast for them. It's hard not to be overwhelmed by it all. A month has passed since he came back to her. Something he considers to be the best decision he has ever made. His life has been blessed with such happiness since then.

Perhaps he is moving faster than she is. He cannot escape the memory of a conversation they once had about her never wanting to marry. He had foolishly agreed back then, not realizing what their friendship was going to become. Does she still feel the same way today? He must find out. His heart needs to know how far they can really go. He calls to her and is again greeted by that brilliant smile. How can he ask her this without giving away his intent?

"Ye know, ye and I have been on quite the journey over the past few months." He takes her hand and continues walking, hoping to act casual. Inside, his stomach rumbles with frantic butterflies.

"Yes, we have." She smiles to herself at the thought of a perfect stranger becoming her best friend and then quickly turning into the best thing that has ever happened in her life. Her family often says how lucky Davy is to have her. Emma always corrects them, saying she is the lucky one.

Jones continues. "And ye are no longer the same person I met back in December."

"I'm not?"

"No, ye are much more." He pauses to consider his next words carefully. "People change, as do their circumstances and beliefs."

"I suppose they do."

_Here goes_. "Do ye recall a conversation we had a few months prior? We had it doing exactly what we are doing now, walking this exact same beach. About how neither of us wanted to commit to anyone."

Emma pauses to search her memory. "Yes, I remember."

"Do ye still feel that way?"

She stops to look up at him. "No. I said that as a single woman with no prospects and a lot of bitterness."

"Ye? No!" Jones laughs as he receives a playful swat as punishment.

"Well, let me turn the tables on you, Mr. Jones. Do _you_ still feel that way?"

He reaches for her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "No. I don't."

Emma takes his hand to her lips. "Good. Problem solved. We should get back now or we'll miss dinner."

* * *

Niko had expressed to Emma earlier in the week that he would like to have a special meal. Being father's day, she understood that this was meant for Davy despite Niko's not admitting so. Jim's culinary skills were requested to make the Captain's favorite meal, fettuccine Alfredo smothered in freshly grated Romano and Parmesan cheese.

Emma smiles to see her friends laughing around her now. The sun beams down upon them as if the universe approves of this gathering. Birds sing hidden in the trees while the air is thick with the fragrance of lilacs and ornamental cherry blossoms. This moment is perfection.

The meal vanishes quickly and Niko excuses himself from the table. Emma and Kay busy themselves with the dishes in the kitchen as a means to talk privately.

"He asked me something strange today." Emma admits to her friend as she rinses a plate for the dishwasher. "He wanted to know if I still felt like I didn't want to commit to anyone."

Kay's face scrunches into a frown. She looks through the patio door to see that the Captain is not listening. "He should know that by now, I mean, you told him that before you even started dating."

"Exactly. I'm not sure where it came from. I hope he's not having doubts about us. But the thing is, that conversation we had way back then wasn't about commitment, it was about how we never thought we'd get married." Emma jumps at the sound of a plate hitting the counter top with a loud bang.

Kay nervously dodges the glances from the men out on the patio. "Sorry. Clumsy!" She rushes over to her friend's side. "Emma! He wasn't trying to find out if you are committed! He was trying to find out if you've changed your opinion about getting married!"

"What? No...do you think so?"

Kay nods excitedly.

"Oh my...no, I can't assume that, Kay. We've only been dating for a month. He's not the type to rush into things this serious." She pauses, "I don't want to get excited about it if that's not what he meant."

"Meant what? Who?"

The girls turn around to see Niko standing in the kitchen holding a twelve pack of beer in each hand.

Kay examines what her partner carries. "Nothing. Planning a fun night, honey?"

"Aye, it'll be a wild one." He winks as he walks past them to the patio door. He walks over to the table where his elders are seated, enjoying the sunlight with their favorite cigars. Niko places the boxes in front of each man, nods and walks back to the door.

"Wait a minute, what's this?" Davy points a finger to the twelve pack of his favorite local beer.

"Father's day." Niko yells over his shoulder as he re-enters the house.

Jones finds himself impressed by the gesture and then notices that Jim has also been given this gift.

Jim snorts, "then what's this?"

Niko turns back, "peace offering."

"Aww, you're so sweet." Emma teases him as he walks by. "You love your daddies."

"HA, trust me. I don't think those two would enjoy ye saying I have two fathers." He laughs. "That would imply something."

"Well, they are sailors." Kay laughs as she brings out a fresh pitcher of lemonade. "It wouldn't be that far of a stretch."

Jim points an accusing finger in her direction. "Watch it, miss. I won't be sharin' my beer with ye now."

"Somehow I feel that you weren't going to share it anyway, Jim."

Jim shrugs his massive shoulders. "Ye'd be right." He pops the top off with a calloused thumb and takes a large mouthful of the cooled brew.

"You know, I got an email from someone today." Kay says in a sweet voice as she takes a seat next to the bosun. "Montana said she's going to be returning this summer."

"Oh, now that's interesting." Emma smiles as Davy pulls her into his lap.

"Piss off. Not interested." Jim growls and pushes Kay's chair away from his.

"Would it interest you if I told you she's looking forward to meeting you?" Kay stubbornly moves her seat back to its original spot.

"No! Stop talking about me to 'er!"

"Let me get this straight, a young lass wants to meet ye...and your not interested?" Jones leans toward his brother. "Did ye leave your balls back in Barbados?"

"I have a picture of her on my phone." Kay offers and runs into the kitchen to retrieve it.

"Not interested!" Jim hollers over his shoulder as he becomes increasingly annoyed.

When Kay returns, Davy's hand is the first to extend. He waves his fingers toward himself and his request is granted. A look of shock and excited pleasure floods his face after his eyes examine the picture. "Are ye sure, mate? I'm thinking ye might want to see this one."

"What did I just say?" Jim jolts to his feet. "I'm NOT interested!" Unable to take the torment any longer, he storms away and slams the patio door behind him.

"Huh...that's an unusual response." Jones snorts. He looks back at the photo. "This girl, she's one of ye?"

Emma understands his question. These men have come to view Karine and Emma as being unique in their ability to love them without judging their appearance. They consider them a rarity, a special breed. She reaches for a tentacle and wraps it around her hand, something she always does to remind him of her acceptance. "Yes. She is our friend after all."

"Good luck getting him to accept her."

"Don't worry, Tana will win him over." Kay smiles sweetly.


	20. Chapter 20: Montana

Camp Uhuru is aptly named. Meaning "freedom" in Swahili, it is a camp for abused and neglected teenagers. It is a place where they can do as the name suggests, be free. But with that freedom comes intense therapy and life skills training. The children spend their summers taking care of horses, cattle and other forms of livestock. They are responsible for the well being of the animal in their care, and in return, they learn that life is much more than what you've been through. Having the responsibility of another life tends to rearrange your priorities.

Both Emma and Karine have been camp counselors at Uhuru since the age of sixteen. Founded and operated by Emma's Godfather and Kay's eldest brother, "G", he is a tireless advocate for children's rights.

With money getting tight, Emma was glad to have her services requested early this year. Her expertise in animal handling and training is always essential, as her Godfather pointed out over the phone.

"I hate to tear you away from your lover, but I really do need your help."

Emma laughed at his casual jibe. As much as she hated to be away from Davy, it was G who introduced them, and as he so eloquently pointed out, she owes him now.

"So Tana arrives Friday?" Emma questions Kay while placing a halter on her favorite horse, Sierra. The sorrel overo mare waits patiently to be led out to the pasture, but only after receiving her customary apple slices.

"Yup. Eight in the morning, red eye flight." Kay says without looking up from her duty of replacing last night's bedding from the stalls. The air in the barn quickly becomes dusty as she shovels the wood shavings. The smell of fresh cut pine is pleasant before the morning breeze carries it away.

Uhuru is where they both met Montana. She came to the camp as a young girl with a damaged soul. At the tender age of two, she was forcibly removed from her parents due to neglect and drug problems. No toddler should have to witness what she did. Malnourished and unable to speak a word, the child was now a ward of the state of Alabama. She was traumatized and afraid of her own shadow. Diagnosed with "failure to thrive", many felt she would never recover.

But with time and many months of medical care, the child slowly began to blossom. Tana bounced from foster home to foster home, never settling in or feeling loved enough by anyone to be adopted. At the age of eighteen, she could no longer be in the system and was left to fend for herself.

She had heard about Uhuru on the news and applied. The cut off age is eighteen, but upon hearing her story, G made an exception. It was the best decision he could have made. With her tenacity and vibrancy for life, Tana was a shining example to all the other kids that you can't let your circumstances run you. At the end of that summer, G approached her with a job offering to return next summer as a counselor. All expenses paid.

Like Emma, he looks at Tana like she is his own child. Scholarships were given so that she could attend university and he always made sure she had a roof over her head. G knew she could provide for herself, he just did not approve of how she was doing it. When he found out that she had been stripping for money to buy groceries and pay tuition, G had torn into her, disappointed that she did not ask for help instead. Tana just shrugged and told him not to worry.

Last month, she graduated with a double Master's degree in psychology and social work. The same girl no one ever thought would even speak. She has decided to dedicate her life to the same cause as the man who first believed in her. This will be her last summer at Uhuru as a senior counselor, something no one is looking forward to. Her vivaciousness is treasured by all who meet her.

The morning she arrived, her long flaxen hair was hanging loosely from a messy bun and it was obvious she was fatigued. But in the early sunlight, her beaming smile allowed her beauty to escape. As they have done for almost nine years now, the two girls run to embrace their friend after many months apart.

"So, Miss Emma," Tana says with her southern American accent as thick as ever, "tell me about your new man."

"We'll be here all day." Kay giggles.

"Oh now, don't you go acting like you don't go on about your man! I've got a novel's worth of emails from you." Tana points out the truth and places her arm around Emma's shoulder. "No, this is special. For too many years I've worried about you. I've just wanted you to be happy. And look at you! You're glowing like a rose! I'd say you look prettier than a glob of butter melting on a stack of wheat cakes."

Emma laughs at her friend's typical southern euphemism as they start walking toward the house. "I'll fill you in later about my man. You must be tired, you probably want to lie down..."

"Nonsense! I haven't see y'all in a dog's age. Besides, didn't you say there is someone for me to meet?"

Emma looks past her friend to catch Kay's expression. The bosun's reaction to meeting this girl was not a pleasant one.

"Well, he's kinda shy." Emma starts, "I think he's nervous to meet you."

"Nervous? Well, I don't bite, unless of course that is what he prefers."

Again, Emma finds herself laughing but is unsure if it's because of what Tana said or the accent that came with it. "Just give him time, he'll come around."

"Honey, I ain't got no time to waste! This is my last summer here. I wanna have me some fun."

Kay stops walking. "I don't normally equate the word "fun" with "Jimmy". Now "cranky" and "Jimmy" would work."

"Well that's about as handy as a back pocket on a shirt." Tana snickers. "It does me no good."

"I don't know, I think Tana can turn him around. He needs someone to outwit him." Emma waves to Davy and Niko who have been waiting on the patio. They seem keenly interested in meeting this girl, as they have been watching her since she arrived.

"He's a smart ass, huh? I like him already."

Jones and Niko approach and both extend their hands in greeting. Upon doing so, Niko shakes his head and tries to hide his laughter.

"Excuse me, but what's so funny?" Tana tilts her head while holding her smile.

"Yer Jim's girl?" He turns to face Jones. "This is Jim's girl...the one he don't want?"

Tana hides her surprise from the comment. "Well then I guess I'm not Jim's girl, now ain't I?" She continues to smile. Her presence is intoxicating, her voice contains strength and wisdom. Five foot eight, she elegantly towers over her petite friends. The gentle wisps of golden hair frame her angelic face, while her blue eyes shine like a tropical lagoon. Even though she is wearing a t-shirt and jeans, her figure is portrayed perfectly. She always was a beauty, one that men rarely resist.

"Smarten up!" Jones snaps at the coxswain. "Stop your droolin'."

"Yes...stop it." Kay warns.

Davy continues. "I must warn ye, Jim isn't exactly open to this."

"I don't know, sir. He hasn't seen her yet." Niko mumbles and receives a glare from his girlfriend.

"So you think I might be the bosun's type?" Tana's omnipresent smile grows wider.

Niko steps back into the safety of his superior's backside. "He'd be a fool if ye weren't."

"Niko. How does sleeping on the couch sound?" Karine growls at him with disgust.

"Uncomfortable." He laughs.

Jones rolls his cerulean eyes. "So what's the plan for tonight?"

"Well, we are going to have a special dinner and we are going to pass her off as just a friend. She has no interest in meeting him." Emma announces.

Niko scoffs. "There's a great way to start a relationship! With a lie!"

* * *

Two hours after the dinner has finished, Jimmy hasn't made an appearance on the patio to greet the new guest. In fact, he could not be found all day. Normally evasive with strangers, it is to be expected, but not to the point of complete avoidance. Both Davy and Niko try to coax him out, but they always come back without him.

"I take it he knows what's going on." Tana says, resting her chin on her hand.

"Yeah, he's definitely on to us." Emma shrugs. "I guess we'll have to let him come to you on his own terms."

"Shame. Gotta love the strong, silent type. But if I'm going to be staying here for the summer, he's bound to run into me eventually. I didn't realize I was so scary." She says with a laugh. "Well, I'm going to the little girl's room."

She stands up and enters the house. After many years of staying here, she has become familiar with the layout. She decides on the washroom directly across from her room in the basement. As she heads down the darkened stairway, she comes face to face with the man who has been avoiding her. His face tells of his frustration, the shadows around him make him appear eerie and show his desperation for an escape. They stand there silently for a few minutes, both looking shocked and feeling awkward.

Jimmy shifts uncomfortably, wishing he were anywhere but here. "So yer the one they be trying to set me up with?"

"Beg your pardon?"

"Don't play dumb with me. I know yer in on this little scheme they got planned." He panics and storms past her, climbing each stair with a heavy thud. "Let me tell ye, it's not going to work!"

Tana thinks that perhaps it is best to turn the tables on him. "Well, if you're so nervous on meeting me, how come you're not hiding in your room?"

"Excuse me?" He spins around and glares at her. "I'm allowed to go where I please! I live here."

"And now, so do I. It just seems to me that skulking around in the dark is a rather suspicious behavior." She folds her arms across her chest and leans against the wall. "We can't have that as now the basement belongs to me."

He examines her coldly with his eyes and then descends the stairs to stand in front of her. "What I do is none of yer business."

"I think it is! As I said, I live here now."

"Oh, do ye now? Pray tell!" His eyes scan her body, from the determined stare, down past the gentle curves of her breasts to her bare toes exposed through slinky sandals.

"I always stay here in the summer. Did they fail to tell you that? I think you were curious and you were trying to check me out!" She leans into his face, eying the jagged teeth jutting from his jaw.

"Complete rubbish!" He growls and climbs the stairs again.

"So is your attitude. It's about as useful as a trap door on a canoe. So you can drop it. One would think you'd be more appreciative of a fan." She feigns disgust.

Again, he stomps down the stairs. "Ye know nothing of me."

"Your full name is James Alexander Jones. You're thirty seven years old, you were raised on a ship by a man named Samuel Jones...and I know you have a shitty attitude." Her eyes widen as she leans in closer to his face.

He stares at her with disbelief, his eyes flaring with frustration. "Bah! They told ye that!" A pointed finger snaps in the direction of the laughter outside.

"Not all of it," she laughs, "I figured out the shitty attitude part on my own."

"Aren't ye a clever one! Well, seeing since we're being so open and honest, I should tell ye that I think ye are one hell of a cocky twit!" He leans in and yells in her face.

"There's that shitty attitude again. Doin' you no good."

He pulls back in shock. No one has ever stood up to him like this before. He finds himself intrigued. "What's yer name?" He already knows her name, but feels it's his turn to do some button pushing.

"Montana Pierce."

"That's a stupid name. Named after a state!" He snarls.

"Oh, and what kind of name is Jimmylegs?" She retorts.

"I was given that name as a child. Because of my work ethic, 'tis why! I'm a hard worker..."

"And a hard ass..." She interrupts.

"Yer a bitch!" He begins his escape up the stairs. "And ye have a stupid accent!"

"You're making fun of my accent, Mr. Cockney British man?" Finding herself flustered, she swallows her pride and calls after him. "I know what you're doing. You're afraid of letting anyone get close, so you try to scare them away before they can hurt you. But I'm telling you that you're going to miss out on a lot if you continue to shut people outta your life. And being mean isn't enough to scare me off, no sir. You won't get rid of me that easily."

He considers her words carefully. "And how will I get rid of ye?"

Unfolding her arms, she climbs the stairs toward him. Her voice softens as she gazes up at him. She allows her lower lip to fall into a tantalizing pout. "That is up to you Mr. Legs. But you haven't left yet, so I'm not entirely sure you want to get rid of me."

"I should just push ye down the stairs and be done with ye." He snarls.

She looks at him and shrugs. "Well, here I am. What are you waiting for?"

"Yer more annoying than a tick stuck to the cheek of my ass! Ye know that?" He growls and ascends to the top. Stopping once he arrives there, he looks back down to her.

"And yet, you didn't push me."


	21. Chapter 21: Fresh Start

A harsh stalemate has developed between Jimmy and Tana. A week has gone by and they pass each other in the house without so much as a glance. Occasionally, if one gets in the way of the other, an argument breaks out and the nearest person to them becomes an unwilling referee.

"Now I've had about enough!" Jones bellows as he is forced to come between the two once more. He points an accusing finger in Jimmy's face, "Ye need to get over yourself, stop acting like a proper prick and get yourself laid! It's about the only thing that'll calm ye down!" He turns to stare down at Tana who seems shocked by the abrupt interruption. "Ye need to stop riling him up so much because it's not working! Ye might as well be trying to nail a fried egg to the goddamn wall, it's not going to work! I'm tired of this nonsense, just shut the fuck up!"

Jones storms between them, pushing Tana out of the way with his body as he goes by. "Hey! He might be your servant, boss man, but I'm not!"

Unaccustomed to such indignity, Jones turns and sends an icy glare her way. His eyes burn through her like fire.

"Look out!" Niko jumps up from the table and walks away.

"Excuse me?" Jones' voice is cold and harsh.

Tana looks past the tentacled man, who now stands directly over her in a very menacing way, to his partner behind him. Emma buries her face in her hand and takes a deep breath. Tana lifts her shoulders high in an attempt to gather her courage. "Oh, you heard me. He might jump to your every beck and call, but I won't. Your hootin' and hollerin' won't work on me."

Emma gasps as she gazes through her fingers to her disobedient friend. "Oh, Tana...NO!"

Jones' eyes widen. "Ye come into my home and speak to me like this?"

"It's Emma's home." Tana points in her friend's direction.

"Please don't bring me into this." Emma whines.

"A simple solution here, sir, would be to just pound her into the ground." Jim offers with a nod of his head.

Tana spins on her heels."Oh, and make your boss do it? Because you're too afraid to do it yourself, right?"

Jimmy's jaw falls. "Despite my leanings to do so at this very moment, how I would enjoy smearin' ye into the floor like a squished fly, I do not lower myself to abusing the fairer sex." He pauses to consider his own statement. "But then again, there's nothing fair about ye!"

"No, it's only because you're yellow bellied! Oh, that's right, I said it."

"THAT'S IT!" Jones' voice causes everyone in the room to jump. He grabs Tana's arm and pulls her towards him. His eyes lock with Jim. "Ye, follow me or so help me God..."

The more Tana tries to pry his fingers off her wrist, the tighter they entwine. He rips the patio door open and tosses the girl out into the pouring rain.

Jones turns to his brother. "Out!"

Jim's face sinks into a heavy frown. "She started this!"

"NOW!" As soon as his feet cross the threshold, Jones slams the door and locks it behind the bosun. He screams through the glass. "Ye two fix this or ye will be out there all damn night!"

The rain falls heavily on both of them. They watch helplessly as the Captain leads everyone away from the door. The light turns off and the only illumination they have is from the nearby street lamp.

"Look what ye did!" Jim bellows angrily as his heated skin soaks in the chill from the rain.

"Me? You're the one that started all this!" Tana's defenses rise again.

"You're the one that ran into me!"

"No!" Tana stands up on her toes to stare him in the face. She can feel the collecting rain water around them. "You started all of this, every bit of this! What the hell is wrong with you? All I wanted to do was to meet you, maybe get to know you! You're the one that turned on me!"

"'Cause I don't trust ye!"

"You don't know me! Why the hell not?"

Jim's lip curls in an evil snarl. "'Cause yer a woman!"

Tana pulls back, but remains steadfast. Her eyes remain fixed on his, blue on blue. The rain tumbles down her face, sliding down her neck to the rapid rise and fall of her chest. "So that's it then? You condemn me based on the actions of others, is that right?"

"I can do what I want. Because ye do not know me!"

"You won't let me!" Tana yells in frustration.

"I don't let anyone!"

"You let Emma!"

A rumble of thunder creeps through the saturated clouds overhead. "Watch it."

"I don't understand why she is exempt to this anger and I'm not. Don't you think that she set us up out of the kindness of her heart? Maybe she saw something that neither of us can see now. Maybe she just wants you to be happy, dammit!"

"Ha! If that were the case, she woulda never introduced ye to me." Jim turns away, and despite the pounding rain, takes a seat at the patio table. He folds his thick arms, hoping they will be a protective barrier against this wretched girl.

Tana stares at him through the darkness. When his stance doesn't change, she decides to change her tactic. Matching his wit blow for blow clearly is not the way to reach this man. "Maybe this wasn't her idea. Maybe I wanted to me you."

"Bah!"

"Do not dismiss me so easily, sir." Tana's hands clench into fists to reaffirm her strength, despite the shaking of her voice. "I see it now. You love Emma."

"Of course I do, she's like a daughter to me." Jimmy growls in her direction.

"No, I think it's much more. A lot more than that."

"Ye don't know shit, woman!" Jim jumps to his feet and points a harsh finger in Tana's face. "That is my brother's girl, how dare ye accuse me of such a thing?"

"It's about the only thing that makes sense right now! I've done nothing to you and you've hated me before we even met!"

Jim walks over to the patio railing and leans on it heavily. He finds himself wanting to let go of all the anger and disappointment he has felt over the last few months. The weight of it crushes him inside, but it refuses to escape. He sat back and watched his brother get the only girl who accepts him completely. Every damn day he is reminded through their joy of how miserable he really is. For that same brother's happiness, he walked away from the only woman he has ever loved. They brought this hillbilly girl up for him to meet, but his heart still belongs to Grace.

But he can't have her. The rain runs into his eyes as he stares blankly at the dark ground below. Small currents of water travel down the slope of the driveway, carrying with it loose leaves and any chance he has for a fulfilling future.

Minutes of silence pass before he mumbles something inaudible to Tana. She leans in, trying to hear over the beating rain.

"What?"

"I said it's not Emma." He growls louder.

"Then what is it?" She takes a step forward and considers placing comforting hand on his shoulder. Fearing a violent reaction, she resists.

Jim closes his eyes and is forced back into his past. His memory bathes him in pain and misery as he recalls his terrifying childhood in the mental institution. He grew up surrounded by the screams and daily threatened violence of the disturbed adults who lived there with him. His mind carries him away to his emancipation, where he was rescued by the only parent he knew. For the first time in his life, he felt accepted. Wanted. When his father died, he was left alone again. Without the protection of his guardian, the harsh, cruel world around him swarmed in again. People stared. Children screamed. Bullies abused.

So much pain. It has tormented him and yet comforted him like a blanket for so many years. No one is allowed to cross that barrier of protection he has built. No one is allowed to hurt him again."Ye wouldn't understand."

Sensing the defeat in his voice, her hand inexplicably makes contact with his arm. She does it without thought. When he doesn't flinch, she finds herself enjoying the warmth of his skin under her hand. "I would try."

He looks over at her, and for the first time, his eyes do not contain sarcasm or rage. Instead they seem curious. "Why did ye want to meet me?"

Tana smiles, rolling her eyes. "Perhaps I'm a sucker for punishment. Or maybe I sensed something in you that I saw in myself." She takes a chair from the table and places it next to him. Jim finds himself surprised when instead of taking a seat, she uses the chair as a step. She takes her seat on the wooden railing beside him, with her hand still placed softly on his arm. "I used to be really angry too. I was mad that my family abandoned me when I needed them most."

This catches Jim's attention, he turns to face her. He gazes at her, transfixed by the image of her golden hair now wet and pasted to her face and chest, her shirt now clinging to her torso under the weight of the water it soaks in.

"And, well, let's just say there were those who readily took advantage of a disadvantaged little girl. It led me to make choices I'm not proud of. People rejected me for it. But you do what you have to do to survive. You know? Not everyone is blessed."

Jim nods, now increasingly intrigued by the girl. Maybe she's not the enemy, but more of a kindred spirit.

Seeing his defenses lowering, she continues talking to him through the rain. "But if I allow these people to continue to hurt me even after they are long gone, then I am the one who loses. Staying mad at someone is like taking slow sips of poison, you only hurt yourself. And its affects accumulate with time."

Jimmy straightens, appearing softened by her words as he contemplates them. "Someone like ye can come from the ashes?" He has always felt that "normal" people don't have struggles like he does.

Tana's head tilts as she smiles at his innocent question. "We all come from dirt, Jim. But it's a choice we make to rise above it. I'm just like you in a lot of ways, one should not so easily assume I am something when they don't know enough about me."

"Ah, so beautiful people have problems to then, aye?"

"Oh, well now look at you, throwin' compliments my way." She sends him a beaming smile through the darkness. "So you're not so scary after all. Inside, you're really just a big teddy bear?"

"Hardly." Jim shuffles in the rain, feeling embarrassed for his behavior over the past week. He extends his heavy hand to her. "Let's start over. I'm Jim."

Tana laughs to herself and extends her hand in return. "I'm Montana."

"That's still a funny name."

She continues to beam while gently squeezing his hand in her own. "I know, Jim, I know."


	22. Chapter 22: Jones

Peace has been restored to the house once more. Emma looks out the kitchen window in the early morning light to see Tana walking alone with Jim. Their bodies seem relaxed, almost close enough to touch. Emma smiles to herself to see both of her friends peaceful. Maybe something will come of this after all.

"There's a sight I never grow tired of seeing."

She turns from the window to see Jones contemplating her. "What would that be?" She walks over to him and envelopes her arms around his waist. His body smells fresh and inviting from his recent shower. His unbuttoned shirt is too much to resist and she buries her face into his chest and beard.

"Your smile." He states simply as he runs his fingers through her messy morning curls that have yet to be tamed. "Never thought I would become so reliant on something so simple. Your happiness is all that matters to me now."

She looks up at him, resting her chin on him while she smiles widely. "And don't forget it. If mama's not happy, no one is!"

Jones laughs. "Isn't that the truth!"

Emma pulls away from his invigorating warmth to remove the pot of coffee from the burner. "I shouldn't be too long today. Just some final touches before the campers arrive this weekend. Then I'm all yours."

Again her smile causes him to catch his breath. What is it about that smile that renders him so useless? He clears his throat and places his hands behind his back, standing at ease. "To what time should I be expecting ye?"

"Hmm, probably four-ish?" She takes a sip and makes a sour face. "Too strong."

Jones hands her the coffee cream. "Perhaps we can go on our customary walk? Point Aconi beach?"

Their usual walking place. It's where they go to talk privately. The vast expanse of open sand goes for endless miles, allowing them solitude and time. Tall slate rock crevices and cliff sides provide convenient make-out hideaways.

"Sure." She looks past her lover to the coxswain as he enters the kitchen shirtless and groggy. "Morning," she calls to him.

Niko waves his hand dismissively, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and stifling a yawn. "Coffee...now."

Jones snorts. "Perhaps speak to the lady a little more coherently and your wish will be granted."

Niko frowns as if that is too much to ask for. "Whatever."

"Ye know, if ye hadn't been up all night re-enacting some porno scene with your girlfriend, maybe ye'd be a little more awake."

Emma fills her grinning mouth with a bite from a freshly baked blueberry muffin. With the comment, Niko wakens fully and a wide grin smears across his face. His eyes glisten with a naughty evil that only he possesses. "Oh ye heard that, huh?"

"Much to my discomfort, yes!" Jones growls. "Keep it down, ye filthy bastard. Be discrete!" He spins on his bare heels to face his own girlfriend. "Ye know, the walls of this house seem increasingly thin for me as of late."

"Yes, it's not easy having two couples wall to wall." Emma snickers.

"Three." Jones growls.

"What?"

His hand snaps in the direction of where Tana and Jim were last seen. "Don't think for a second that those two aren't at it! Like fucking rabbits, they are."

Emma contemplates this information, wondering why her friend hasn't said anything to her yet. Montana Pierce will have to be confronted later.

Niko takes a seat at the dining room table and grabs the biggest muffin he can find on the plate in front of him. "I think ye have them confused with me and Kay." He snickers proudly, pleased to see Jones becoming annoyed.

Jones rolls his eyes. "I cannot take it. Why should I have to restrain myself if no one else does!"

"No one wants to hear that." Niko says with a mouth full of muffin.

Emma giggles slightly as she walks past her annoyed lover to grab another muffin for her dinner. She gazes up at the clock and decides she still has some time for this amusing conversation. "What do you want me to do about it? Sound proof the house?"

Grabbing the local newspaper, Niko offers his opinion. "I vote for that one. No perverts listenin' in." He sends a sardonic glance to Jones.

Jones growls deep in his chest."Ye own this house! Kick little miss redneck out of the basement and move her up here with Jim."

"I do not approve of this." Niko states flatly.

Jones turns and glares at his unofficial son. "Ye do not have a say in this, boy."

Niko looks up and frowns. "Ah, come on! Those two are so damn loud and opinionated even when they're just breathing...I don't want to know what they'll be like during _heavy_ breathing."

"Tough!" Jones turns back to Emma. "We're moving downstairs."

"Yes, sir." Emma chimes. "I have to go now. Try not kill each other while I'm gone." She reaches for a tentacle and gently pulls her lover down to her height for a kiss. Grabbing an elastic, she tames her curls into a loose and messy bun, smiles back at Jones and leaves.

When the door closes and she is out of hearing range, Niko looks up from the newspaper to watch as his superior takes a seat at the table across from him. "So today's the day?"

"Aye." Jones says without acknowledgment. He plunges a knife into the soft butter and spreads it generously over a piece of toast.

"Bad timing. I haven't had a chance to do it yet."

Jones' brow falls into a heavy frown. "That's your own lazy ass fault. What am I supposed to do, wait for ye?"

Niko turns a page nonchalantly. "Would be polite. Because now my girl is going to be asking what the fuck is wrong with me."

"She should be asking that now! That's your own problem, boy. I'm not waiting around for ye to make up your damn mind."

"Oh my mind is made up, yer just beating me to the chase. Not appreciated, by the way."

"Suck it up." Jones turns to the sound of the patio door sliding open. "Ah, just the people I want to be seeing right about now."

Jim and Tana look at each other and pretend that they don't look guilty for having just spent the last few minutes in each others arms.

Jones continues. "Ye can stop acting like there's nothing going on between ye. I'm smart enough to know the damn difference." He turns in his seat to send an evil grin to Tana. "Ye are being evicted."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Pack your shit and get out of the basement. It's mine now."

"Oh really, now? By who's authority?" Her hands plant firmly on her hips.

Jones snickers and shakes his head. "Ye just don't seem to understand the ranks, and who's in charge. By my own authority, lass. And that be enough."

Before she begins to protest, Jim places his hand on her shoulder to hold her back. "And just where are ye planning on her to go?"

Still sore from the girl's insolence, Jones has little tolerance for her. "Ha! To hell, for all I care! Last time I checked there was a queen size bed in your room, mate. You're already sharing it during the day, might as well share it at night!" He turns back and takes a large bite out of the buttery toast.

Tana's defenses drop completely with the recommendation that she move in with her new lover. At least there will be no more sneaking around and hiding their growing relationship. She smiles up at Jim, "well, I guess I better pack."

* * *

Jones waited impatiently for Emma to return that afternoon. He enjoyed how she laughed to see that her friend had already moved upstairs and how most of their belongings had made it down to their new 'love nest'. This is Jones' nickname for their new dwellings. Emma approves.

She parks the car at the beach just before six in the evening. Jones surveys the spread of the beach, glad to see it vacant. The air is cool today, despite it being the end of June. Upon reaching the sand, he takes her hand in his. As they travel, Emma notices that his conversation seems jumbled. He almost appears to be nervous, but she has no idea why he would be. One minute he is commenting on how content he is to see Jim finally relaxing again, the next he's discussing what the future may hold for themselves.

About an hour into their walk, the beach takes a sharp ninety degree turn where the sand disappears and becomes slate rock. A tall monolith of sandstone juts out from the seabed floor and violent ocean waves crash into it without disturbing its strength. Jones takes note of a flat rock nearby that is safely positioned away from the grasping waves.

"Here, take a seat." He offers his lap after he settles on the hard surface. He is not sure how long they have been walking, but the sun is starting to sink into the horizon. She melts into his arms and he rests his head on her shoulder. He smiles contently as she comments about how this moment is so beautiful and perfect. He couldn't agree more.

"Emma."

"Yes, Mr. Jones." She says sweetly without taking her eyes of the water.

"Remember that conversation we had a few weeks ago, about how ye no longer feel the way ye used to about commitment?"

Emma's heart suddenly begins to race. Her mind races back to the conversation she had with Karine. "Yes."

Jones presses his lips to the soft skin of her shoulder. "Ye still feel that way?"

Her stomach leaps. "Yes."

"That's good to know, because otherwise, that would make this very difficult for me." His hand slips behind her and reaches into his jacket pocket. When his hand returns, it contains a small velvet box.

Emma's hand instinctively covers her mouth in shock. He opens the lid and exposes a delicate but luminous engagement ring. The diamond catches the sunlight and it glistens as he removes it from the box.

Jones removes her left hand gently from her face. "I'll be needing that if I'm to do this properly." He says with a smile she doesn't see. "Emma. Ye have proven to me that love can truly be unconditional. I have never met anyone like ye before and that makes me realize that I do not want to live without ye. Ye are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I prayed all my life for a woman like ye, and it seems that my prayers have finally been answered." He pauses to slide the ring onto her finger. He is gladdened to see that it fits perfectly. "I know this fast, but I refuse to risk letting ye go. I made that mistake once, and never again. Emma Grace, will ye marry me?"

She stares at the ring with amazement for what seems like hours, much to Jones' dismay. She had never thought she would see herself in this situation, she had never even dreamed of it as a little girl. It just wasn't something she wanted. With the immaculate white gold band around her finger, she can't imagine any other answer that the one in her head.

She nods between sniffles and tears. "Yes. Yes, Davy!"

His arms wrap around her and his strength crushes her beneath them. She pulls from his grasp to turn and place her lips passionately on his.

He pulls away after a few minutes and smiles. "Emma Jones. I like the sound of that."

"So do I." Gazing lovingly between the ring and her fiance, she finally looks to him from under her seductive lashes and whispers, "I think we should celebrate."

He smiles. "And we have a new room to break in, what a coincidence."


	23. Chapter 23: Birthday Wish

The days grow longer as the temperature outside grows hotter. Along with twittering birds and rasping cicadas, Camp Uhuru is now bubbling with the laughter and excitement of sixty teenage abuse survivors.

Emma and the girls spend their days counseling the children and building a level of trust required for healing. As the children learn to groom horses and feed chickens, they quickly let down the barriers and begin sharing their heart-breaking stories.

The camp is designed so that each child has a councilor that has experienced some form of abuse, be it physical, emotional, sexual abuse or even bullying. Sometimes having someone who knows exactly what you've been through can be the best aid to recovery. Emma brings the compassion and caring from her previous experiences with bullying and verbal abuse. Montana, being a former camper, decided to return as a councilor and share the wisdom and healing she learned over the years. And as G's sister, Karine shares her knowledge of animal husbandry and care while being the occasional shoulder to cry on.

Once he had learned their personal stories of hardship, G decided that Davy and the boys' experiences in life might help show the children that anything is possible. A simple way of saying "they survived, so can you." At first they were reluctant to share their stories, but once they saw that the kids were intrigued, it didn't take long for them to open up. Instead of being afraid, most of the children were fascinated to share the company of these bizarre looking men.

Emma wipes her brow in the heat of the afternoon. She pauses to take in her surroundings, what she sees brings a smile to her face. Her fiance is off under the shade of a large maple tree telling stories to a group of kids about all the wonderful sights he's seen. His arms lift above his head, in an effort to describe something big. How his eyes sparkle when he tells a story.

To her left, Jimmy and Montana are cuddled up on the warm sands of the beach, possibly forgetting that they aren't alone. They don't seem to notice that others are around, they're just happy to be alone within themselves. Jimmy was so despondent a few weeks prior, now he can't seem to stop smiling. They spend almost every waking moment together. Their summer fling is becoming a raging fire.

And to her right, the sound of Karine's bubbly laughter as she tries to coax Niko into what he calls "the nut-shrinking ice water". His arms folded, he vigorously shakes his head no. Emma can't make out the words he is yelling to Kay, but she's pretty sure they consist of "you're crazy" and "no fucking way." His body has not acclimatized to the cool north Atlantic waters, still preferring the balmy bath water of the Caribbean.

Last week, Niko had approached Emma and Jones to talk over an idea he had in his mind. Ever the one to come up with schemes and harebrained ideas, Niko insisted that this plan was a good one.

"It'll be a way to get our message out there, that we're as normal as the rest of them."

Jones' brow falls into a heavy frown. "Let me get this straight. You want to film us and post it online?"

Seeing the resistance of the Captain, Niko takes a seat next to Emma to garner support. "Yeah! I'm going to make a support group online for people with PFD and for their family members! I figure they feel like we do, like they are isolated and no one understands them or this disease. But if they see our lives and how we are actually normal, maybe it will help people." Knowing Emma's passion for philanthropy, Niko hopes this statement is what will get her approval.

"Normal? Who the hell said ye were normal?" Jones snickers.

Niko ignores the insult and continues, "it would only be once a week. And it would only be for members only, approved by me, of course. I'll even set up a system where people can donate to PFD research. There are others like us, Em. It would be great to get to know them and gather our own support."

His patience fading, Jones jumps into the conversation. "I'm not comfortable with the entire world knowing our business."

Now frustrated, Niko scowls over at his superior. "Ye are boring and would contribute little to the cause."

"In other words, this is just your attempt at gaining fame!" Jones recoils.

"Last time I checked, that's the reason ye wanted to do the movies, was it not? Ye wanted people to see us and stop judging us. Well, that worked some of the way. Maybe this will help further." Niko responds firmly.

Beaten, Jones folds his arms over his chest grumbles to himself.

Niko turns back to Emma and smiles sweetly. "So what do ye think, Em?"

Emma checks the expression on Jones face. Seeing an aggravated scowl, she responds carefully. "Well, if it will help others and any proceeds will go to research...I can't see how one filming session a week will hurt, I mean..."

"Great!" Niko leans in and plants a kiss on her cheek. He stands and heads for the door. "Thanks, Em!"

"Hold it!" Jones points a finger in his departing direction. "I will approve this mainly because she is fine with it. But the minute it becomes intrusive or interfering, it is to end. Got it?"

Niko nods without making eye contact. "Got it."

* * *

The newly engaged couple have now settled comfortably into their recently possessed basement suite. In the heat of the summer sun, the cool darkness is welcomed and inviting. It has also become a way to escape Niko now that he's begun chasing them around with a camera. So much for once a week.

Emma rests her head in his lap. There's nothing on TV, but they watch it any way. She put in a long, back breaking day at camp, her body craves the comfort only his can provide. Facing away from him, her eyes glance back and forth from the screen to the clock on the wall.

Midnight.

She lifts herself from the cradling protectiveness of his body. "I'll be right back."

Jones watches her leave but quickly turns his attention back to the television without questioning her departure. A few minutes pass and she returns, holding a cupcake in her hands. Protruding from a thick layer of icing and sprinkles, a birthday candle burns brightly with flame.

He laughs softly to see her walking slowly toward him, trying to avoid any air currents from blowing out his candle.

She takes a seat next to him on the couch. "Happy birthday."

Jones' eyes are soft, the smile on his face enhancing the lines around his eyes. He looks down at the cupcake and then back to his fiancee. "I've never had someone make such a fuss over my birthday before. I have one every year, ye know."

"Yes, but this is the first time I've celebrated it with you." Emma places the cupcake in front of him, still holding it in her hand. "July ninth could be a holiday for me. It means I have you. To me, this is my favorite day of the year, the day you were born. "

He snorts. "That was thirty-seven years ago." He glances up at the clock. "Officially."

"It's still important to me." She eyes the candle wax sliding down and forming thick globs at the base. "Make a wish."

He chuckles to himself and with little effort he expels a slight breath and the candle is extinguished. Spirals of smoke swirl up from the wick as Emma pulls the candle from the icing. She hands the cupcake to him with a smile.

"Ye are not going to ask me what I wished for?" Jones licks some icing off his fingers. Cream cheese icing, his favorite.

"I'm not supposed to. It won't come true."

He tilts his head to the side. "But ye already did."

Smiling brightly, she leans in to place a tender kiss on his cheek. "I'm your wish?"

"Ye were. Cannot wish for something I already have. Only to make it last." He takes a bite of the red velvet cake. "You made this?"

"Yes. There are more upstairs."

His cheek puffed out slightly from the sweet contents in his mouth, he smiles widely. "See? My wish came true. More cake. I have a beautiful girl and she can bake." He takes another bite. "That's all I need."

Still uncomfortable with receiving his compliments, she blushes slightly and looks away. Jones notices this and places a finger under her chin to direct her face back to his.

"I just paid ye a compliment, not an insult. Do not shy away as if the words sting." He finishes the cake and licks the remnants from his fingers. His eyes never disengage from her face.

"I know," she blushes further, "it's just hard for me to accept compliments."

"Ye cannot accept the truth?"

"I'm not used to hearing it."

"No, ye don't see it as the truth in your mind." He pauses to consider going upstairs for another dessert. "But we'll change that." His heavy hand squeezes her shoulder. "Do ye think I was accustomed to all the praise ye sent my way when I first moved here?"

"I guess not." Emma shrugs. Looking at her fiance, she feels guilty for her low self esteem. She has no right to hate on herself when her future husband -who has every reason to hate his appearance- can accept himself.

Her insecurity pushes her farther. "Davy, why do you love me?"

His eyes narrow with puzzlement. "What's not to love?"

His typical answer makes her roll her eyes. "I need something a bit more definitive than that." To Emma, it is impossible to understand why any man would be attracted to her chubby, short and less-than-perfect body.

Her face must have fallen again because his hand once more brings her back to attention. "I love ye because ye love me. Ye walk the streets proud to hold my hand. Ye defend me from those who judge. Ye are smart, funny...and despite what ye think...beautiful. Your smile disarms me somehow. Ye do not judge and ye accept everyone at face value. That is a gift, my love. One that should be treasured for it being so rare. To me, ye are like a wildflower. Hidden on the side of the road, most people don't see ye. But if ye stop and take the time, the beauty is unforgettable." He pauses to pull her into the safety of his body. "I'm not sure who taught ye to hate yourself, but they were wrong. If they couldn't see how amazing ye are then they were blind."

She melts at the feeling of his hands traveling the length of her back in an attempt to comfort her. When he stops she looks up.

"I could ask ye the same question. What is it that you love about me?"

She places her head back on his shoulder. "I suppose I could say everything you just said. You protect me from the world. I don't feel judged by you."

Jones laughs. "I'd be quite the hypocrite to judge ye when ye don't judge me."

"I don't have a very good track record with men." She reminds him, "men haven't exactly been kind to me."

"I know." His arms wrap around her. "Bastards."

She laughs slightly at his admonishment. She continues. "You're mysterious. Esoteric."

Jones laughs again, causing Emma to bounce along with his chest. "Is that a good thing? I'm not sure that it is."

"It is." She lifts her head to look up at him. "You keep me on my toes. And yet, you are completely predictable. I can trust you. You do what you say you will do. I think that's what I love the most. I've never trusted anyone like I trust you."

"Heck, what would I have to lie about?" Jones laughs with a snort. "Hmm, now if ye will excuse me, I'm going to help myself to more of my birthday gift."

"Oh but," she pauses for a second, "that's not your gift."

"No?"

She leans back on his lap, allowing her russet hair to flow freely over his legs. She sends him a come hither smile as she gazes up at him, "no, I'm your gift."

Jones smiles."Best birthday gift ever."


	24. Chapter 24: Morgan

"I need your help, Em."

Emma turns from the lamb she's bottle feeding to see Tana storming up the hill. Even in coveralls stained with farm dirt, she's still a sight to behold. She tucks a loose lock of golden hair behind an ear as she paces in front of her friend.

"What's up?" Emma turns back to the lamb who is not satisfied with her for becoming distracted. He bunts the bottle and milk sprays all over his face.

"He's coming along nicely." Tana forces herself to calm down, realizing her temper is over flowing.

Emma reaches over and wipes the milk away as the lamb takes the bottle again. "Yes, I'm quite proud of the little guy. I'm thinking he may be a good one to keep, he'll make a nice ram. Anyway, you were saying?"

"Oh yeah. It's Morgan, Em! The little jerk just won't stop sniffin' around me!" She throws herself down on the ground next to her friend

"What's he doing now?" Emma groans. His face appears in her mind and she finds herself wanting to punch it.

"What isn't he doing? The guy just can't understand that I have no interest in him!" She moans while running her hand down the lamb's top-line.

"Does he realize you're with Jimmy now?"

"Oh yes. And he made sure to tell me of his disgust too. '_How could you date a monster like that_?' is what he asks me." She mimics his voice in a childish manner.

"Stupid jerk." Emma becomes defensive over the rude comment made toward her friend's appearance. "He's a seventeen year old boy. What on earth does he want with a twenty-seven year old woman?" Emma laughs. "Other than the fact that he thinks he's God's gift to women."

"I dunno. Probably what we want out of thirty-seven year old men, huh?" She looks up from her hands now holding her head in place.

Morgan Johnston has been chasing Montana for three years now. Ever since he came to camp, he has been trying to get with her. He became a counselor last year and nearly drove her crazy. Even the rule of no dating fellow employees doesn't seem to stop him. He's arrogant and immature, a real pest to the female counselors. Handsome, he knows it. He uses it to his advantage. The young girls who don't know better often find themselves hurt, used and abused by him.

Emma is not fond of him herself. Because she's not the typical Barbie doll-shaped woman, he makes fun of her for it behind her back, even though she is his boss. There is a zero tolerance policy in place at the camp for such behavior, but somehow he always manages to fly under the radar.

"Tell him to piss off." Emma states flatly.

"Don't you think I've been trying that for three years?"

"Tell him you'll get Jimmy to beat the snot out of him!" She laughs and removes the empty bottle from the still suckling lamb. "All done, Davy."

Tana raises her head from her hands and grins. "You named the lamb Davy? You definitely can't kill it now."

Emma laughs."Of course I named him that. He's cute, cuddly...stubborn."

"You forgot obnoxious." Tana pauses, "Hmm, I would think it was because of the way he sucks on the bottle, that it might have reminded you of how Davy sucks on you..."

Emma slaps her arm. "That's terrible! You pervert!"

Tana snickers and quickly returns to pouting about her problem. "So what am I supposed to do? Jimmy isn't exactly the type of man that will sit back and let some jerk hit on his woman. I actually fear for Morgan's safety if he gets caught saying the stuff he says to me."

"Let Jimmy beat the stuffing out of him. Jimmy will get his exercise and it will be a lot quieter around here without Morgan." Emma scruffs little Davy's head.

"Well, if I get one more sexist comment, I'm letting Jim loose on him!"

* * *

Despite many attempts, Tana just could not shake the hormone ridden Morgan. Once she even turned around and hollered "would you stop following me around like a horny dog in heat?" Unfortunately G was within earshot and she got in trouble for using those words and that tone in front of the campers.

Jimmy became aware of Morgan much earlier than Tana expected. At first he thought it was amusing, said he couldn't blame the boy. It wasn't until he overheard some of the sexual slander the boy was whispering to his lady that he became irked. Seeing that Tana was bothered by it made him all the more protective.

"Perhaps I'll have a talk with the lad. Set him straight." He punches his own palm, creating a loud smacking sound that reverberates through the office. A wicked little smile creeps across his face.

"As much as I'd love for you to kill the little worm, I don't want you going to jail for it." She leans and wraps her arms around his thick neck.

"Who said I'd get caught? They'd never find his body." Jimmy snickers, his fangs protruding from his lower lip.

"I think you'd be the prime suspect, hun."

"Nah, I'd just blame it on ye!"

Tana laughs off his comment. "You'd feed me to the wolves like that, huh?"

"It wasn't me officer! It was the voluptuous blonde over there, she had the motive!" Jimmy points to her, pretending he's talking to an invisible cop. He leans back into his chair, enjoying his own tormenting.

She bends over and grabs him by the collar of his shirt. "Would you visit me in prison?" She says in a low, sensual voice.

"Only if I get conjugal visits, love." He leans in and presses his lips to hers.

The office door swings open and Morgan's agitating voice interrupts their moment. His eyes are instantly drawn to Tana's backside as she bent over in front of him. "Damn, Tana. Your ass is looking fine in those jeans."

Tana watches as the expression on Jimmy's face goes from loving to full of rage. Her heart begins to pound as he leans out from behind her to expose himself to the ignorant fool. A low menacing growl emits from his throat as his glare cuts past her to Morgan.

"Is there something I can help you with, Morgan?" Tana groans impatiently.

Deliberately trying to upset the couple, Morgan pushes further. He runs a hand through his sun-kissed golden locks and smiles, folding his arms in front of him. "Only you would know that, Tana." He travels through the office as if he's searching for something.

Jim's body stiffens. Tana places a hand on his shoulder to calm him. Her minimal effort seems to keep him seated for now. Her patience gone, she spins around to face the insufferable boy. "Morgan, find what you need and get the hell out!"

Morgan grabs a compass from the table that was easily seen from where he stands. "Ah, I've been looking for that everywhere." He pockets the compass and smirks at Tana, who now seems to be using all her power to hold Jimmy back. "Fine, I'll leave. But I think G should know about this fraternization I just stumbled upon. Wouldn't want the kids to see such behavior."

Tana spins back around, "Oh, go fuck yourself!" But Morgan is gone with the slam of the door. Beneath her fingers, her lover's tense body begins to relax.

"Well, that's it then." Jim nods, looking past her to the door. "I'm going to have to kill him."

"I assume you are being sarcastic. Though I wish you weren't."

"Nope." Jim's temper begins to flare up again. "I'm going to ring his scrawny little neck! So help me God, he's dead!"

"Jim, calm down." She takes his face in her hands and directs him to look at her.

"No one, and I mean NO ONE talks to ye like that!" He growls in a low voice.

"Jimmy, you said the same thing to me this morning." She folds her arms and gives him a crooked smile.

"I..." He stutters and looks around the room, remembering his own comment about her behind in those jeans. "I...said it out of love!"

Tana blushes slightly. "Love? You love me now?"

Jim pauses. "Err...I mean, I'm fond of ye."

"Well that's good. You can't be falling in love with me if I'm to be leavin' at the end of the summer." She turns and heads for the door. "But I'm fond of you too." She winks back at him and closes the door behind her.

Confused by the mixture of emotions flowing through him, he's not sure if he should be happy or pissed right now. But this little pest called Morgan will have to be dealt with. And there's only one person who can help him.

* * *

With a smug sense of self satisfaction, Morgan hides away from the heat of the workday in the shade of the forest. He's supposed to cleaning the stalls, but once again he's managed to slip away without being noticed. Someone will do it for him, as always. He'll just bribe one of the younger girls to do it for him. His chiseled good looks usually get him what he wants.

"Well now! Lookie here!" A large hand reaches into the shadows and yanks him from his resting spot. "Looks like we found ourselves a trouble maker."

It takes a few seconds for his eyes to become accustomed to the bright sunlight, but he instantly recognizes Jimmy's graveled voice. He can feel the anger radiating from his massive body. "Can I help you?"

"Don't act like ye've done nothing wrong, boy. Ye've been hitting on my woman and it's time ye realized that I don't tolerate that sorta shit, now ye hear me?"

Feeling confident, Morgan aims to verbally defend himself until he sees Davy appear silently behind his giant opponent. He's outnumbered and being a smart ass won't get him out of this one. "Gentlemen...can't we talk about this? Violence never got us anywhere, am I right?" His voice quivers once he realizes his feet are barely touching the ground.

Holding him by the shirt with one hand, Jimmy dangles him with no effort. The muscles of his upper arm flex and bulge with immense power. "I could crush you like a bug."

"Yes, I believe you could. You're a very big man, aren't you? You work out often?"

"Cut the flattery, boy!" Davy's voice cuts in. "Ye've been inappropriate with our women and ye need to be taught a lesson!"

Morgan's face contorts into a frown. "Not your woman, she's fat..."

A look of shock is followed by disgust, and then Davy's eyes narrow into a vicious glare. "Kill him."

"No! NO!" Morgan covers his face as Jimmy's free hand forms into a tight fist. "I...take it back!"

"Yer pathetic! All cocky and smug until ye have to face what ye've done! Ye've got a shitty attitude, ye do!" Jimmy pauses and then looks over to his superior and smiles. Davy returns the grin and nods. "And I think I have a way of teaching ye a fitting lesson..."

Dragging Morgan by the shirt, Jimmy easily hauls him across the field with one hand. Begging and pleading for his life, the boy sees that he is being carried towards the barns. He sees his boss sitting at a picnic table nearby and realizes this is his only chance. "G! G! For the love of God, help ME!"

"No, Morgan. I do believe you deserve this somehow." G doesn't even look up from his coffee and newspaper.

At the sound of his shrieking, Emma and Tana come running out of the barn and smile to witness this scene. Finally someone is putting that jerk in his place!

"In ye go!" Jimmy takes the back of Morgan's pants in his other hand and tosses him into the freshly filled manure pile. He lands with a loud plop, head first into the steaming pile of fresh animal waste. The gathering crowd that witnesses this suddenly erupts into laughter. As Jimmy storms past Davy, he raises a hand and they slap palms together.

"Job well done." Davy congratulates him. He then turns to the boy who is now wiping the sludge from his face. "That'll teach ye not to insult women!"


	25. Chapter 25: Disrespect

Wherever they went, Morgan was sure not to follow. For the first time since Emma met him, he kept his mouth shut in fears of being dumped in the manure pit again. Humiliated, his ego and pride are tarnished. His face is full of rage, but his spineless back keeps him from saying anything.

To be his taunting self, Jimmy would appear out of nowhere and stomp his foot hard on the hardwood floors, causing the boy to practically jump out of his skin. His snaggletooth grin would spread wide and his thunderous laughter could be heard by anyone within the camp boundaries.

A part of Emma, a small part, felt sorry for Morgan at first. He can't help the fact that he is an over-sexed teenage boy. The sensible part of her soon took over, remembering what a jerk he is. The sight of him being tormented makes her feel like a spider that has just caught her first fly of the day. It's delightful!

She somehow adores that her fiance is following suit with this torment, though she is not sure why he is. Morgan must have said something to irritate him. When Jimmy isn't jolting the boy with his scare tactics, Davy is sending him a glare of absolute death. Wherever he walks, Morgan feels his burning gaze piercing into his inner core. Emma has watched it from afar. Davy's head will slowly follow the direction the boy is walking, not once looking away. His ominous frown shows great discontent by his mere presence on this earth. Once and a while, Jones will point his index and middle fingers to his eyes and then point an accusing finger to the boy. This is quickly followed by the same finger making a slicing motion across his throat._ I'm watching ye, ye are dead_.

Unseasonably chilly for July, the air is cool even in midday. It doesn't feel like summer as bone-chilling air moves down from the Arctic. Cooler and wetter than a normal summer, Davy constantly grumbles about being cold and reminds Emma that she 'lied' about the weather- another reason for his foul mood. She informs him if she does not look like an almanac, then she must not be one. To be honest, this is the coldest summer she can remember.

Despite the coolness, Emma still works up a sweat moving the cattle to a new pasture. She takes respite in the shade of a large sugar maple. The wind picks up slightly and she shivers because of it. From where she sits on the hill, she can see the horses out in the pasture, their heads low in the grass to fill their bellies. They have some of her favorite horse breeds here; Arabians, Mustangs, Gypsy-Vanners and Norwegian Fjords to name a few. Her Godfather, G, started a rescue program for abandoned horses a few years back. These animals now live comfortably in vast green pastures, being cared for by the children of the camp during the summers.

Pollen falls softly from the trembling aspens, creating a soft saffron glow on the surrounding vegetation. The air smells sweet of budding wildflowers. Forget-me-nots bloom indiscreetly. Most people will miss the tiny blue and pink flowers, but their slight beauty always catches Emma's eye. Cherry and apple blossoms hang heavy on the trees, giving the branches a drooped appearance. All the rain that has fallen recently gave the plants the vitality they needed after a hard winter. Emma looks up and sighs happily, not a cloud in the sky. She catches brief glimpses of the blueness through the branches above as the wind dances through the leaves. The whistling sound of a magnolia warbler announcing his territory and he is then followed by the fluttery song of a purple finch. This is paradise. Again, a cool breeze causes her to shiver.

"Someone walk over your grave?" She turns to the sound of Morgan's voice. It's the first time he's spoken to her since he was reprimanded. He stands with his arms folded, a scowling grimace on his face.

"What do you want? Did you get your chores finished?" She leans her head back on the tree and closes her eyes. Out of all the employees, he is the only one she has to check on regularly.

"Call off your dogs, Emma Grace." He growls in a low voice. His dark brown eyes never leave her.

"I beg your pardon?" Emma opens her eyes and tilts her head towards him. She does not appreciate his insolent tone. He has never showed her much respect, but this seems to be lower than normal.

"You know what I mean." He runs a hand through his golden hair, and then folds his arms again.

"No, I'm afraid I don't."

"Let me rephrase it for you then. Call off your monsters!"

Instantly angered, her eyes widen and fix on him. "Watch it." She threatens with a low tone. "No one calls my fiance and friends 'monsters'".

"I can't go anywhere without that gargoyle jumping out at me!" He walks towards her and begins to pace in front of her. His hand flexes into a fist and quickly releases. Emma recognizes the signs of potential violence and remains quiet. "He doesn't deserve a hot chick like Montana! I don't know what the hell she sees in him."

Continuing calmly, she feels the need to defend her friend. "Let me point out all the mistakes you made in that previous statement." She pauses to take a deep breath, "One, you do not in any way refer to Jimmy as a gargoyle. He is a human being and your elder. You will treat him with respect, despite whatever lessons you were _not_ taught as a child. Do not interrupt me!" She raises her hand as he tries to butt in. "Two. You do not refer to a higher level employee as a 'hot chick'. She is a woman, not an object. We all took those sexual harassment courses when we were hired. If you care for her at all, you will treat her with respect. And third, it is not for you to know what she sees in Jimmy. That is none of your business. However, I would think that a woman like Montana would be attracted to maturity and wisdom. Two qualities you are deeply in lack of." She leans back against the tree and closes her eyes again in a futile attempt to make him go away.

He paces and the sound of his feet dragging through the grass annoys her greatly. Why won't he go away?

"And what about yours? Huh?" He finally asks in a snarling tone.

"What about _mine_?" Her eyes snap open.

"Tell him to lay off me. I don't need him glaring at me with those creepy eyes of his."

Strike two. "Watch it."

He looks down at her and snickers at her defensiveness. "Freak."

She jumps to her feet and storm over to him. "Excuse me? Did you just refer to me as a freak?"

He spreads his arms wide. "I call it as I see it. No one in their right mind would have the hots for that." He forms a look of disgust on his face.

Remembering her authority and position, she bites my tongue despite wanting to tear into his smug little face with her finger nails. "I suggest you check your attitude at the door. You forget who you speak to."

"Oh! I'm sorry! I forgot that I was speaking to Emma Grace! Little miss perfect!"

"Despite what you think of me, you have to respect me. When G isn't around, I'm your boss."

"You know, you get away with a lot of shit around here just because you are his God daughter. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have those two assholes on my case!" He points an accusing finger in her face and she slaps it away with great force.

"I worked hard to get where I am. Don't you dare accuse me of being a favorite! They are on your case because you are being such an immature little prick!"

"Why don't you just fuck off, you fat bitch!" He screams into her face.

A loud crash comes from the surrounding woods and a black form envelopes Emma's body and pulls her away from the confrontation. It takes her a few seconds to focus and realize that Davy is standing in between them. She cannot see Davy's expression, but from where she stands, she can see the color drain from Morgan's face. Another commotion comes from the trees and Niko appears out of the shadows, his eyes intensely fixed on Morgan and his superior. Emma watches as his hand reaches for his belt. A little flicker of metallic light reveals a hidden knife.

Next to stumble on the scene is G with a few campers and counselors. Davy must have overheard the argument and left in a fury, to which they all followed. Upon seeing Davy's face, G's jaw drops and a protective hand reaches behind and stops the rest from moving forward.

Davy shifts slightly in his spot. His body is a tense and unmovable force, the anger flows from him like poison. "Ye...do NOT speak to her that way!" His voice quivers with ferocity, his body shaking to control the ire within that is fighting to escape. "I do not know who taught ye to behave in such a manner, but I will NOT tolerate it with my fiancee!" His vicious eyes burn through Morgan with an icy fire filled with rage and hatred. "So help me God, I will snap your neck in two and no one will EVER find your body!"

Morgan stands slack-jawed, unable to verbalize in his moment of fear. He doesn't know whether he should prepare for a possible blow or just a verbal assault. It's fight or flight. It seems as if he would choose fight until G interrupts.

"Morgan! In my office! Now!" G's voice now overflows with rage. Usually calm and collected, no one has ever seen him so angered. A finger snaps in the direction he wants Morgan to travel. Wanting to be anywhere but here, the delinquent slips away still feeling the burn of Davy's glare in the back of his head.

Emma reaches up to slowly place her hand on Jones' shoulder. His chest heaves as his breath tries to decelerate. He nods to Niko, who sheathes the knife immediately and follows behind the crowd. Turning to Emma, his expression softens as he examines her face for distress.

"Easy. Breathe easy." She whispers to him as he bends down to envelope her in his arms. They surround her, crushing her in his embrace. She looks over to see G one final time. She sends him a nod to tell him everything is fine here.

"No one speaks to ye like that..." Davy whispers to her. "No one. He was going to strike ye, but I stopped him in time."

"I'm okay, sweetheart." She whispers, now shaking in his arms. She had not realized that Morgan was reaching to hit her. In her anger, she did not see it. She places a soft kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."

* * *

An emergency meeting was held for all counselors immediately afterward. Everyone had heard G tear into Morgan for his behavior, firing him and telling him to get on the next flight home. G had never let anyone go before.

Jimmy and Niko attended this meeting as well, to take the place of Emma whom Davy would not allow to attend. Upon their entering the room, G's frazzled expression became darker. Unfortunately for Niko, the meeting turned on him for carrying a knife.

"We all do, G." He explains quietly. "The three of us. It's just what we were taught."

Jimmy interrupts, feeling that Niko is only digging himself into a deeper hole and dragging them down with him. "Ye see, sir. We come from a different blood. We were raised to defend and protect the honor of our cap'n. We were trained to give our lives for his welfare, sir. His honor, if impugned, must be upheld. His life, must be protected no matter what the cost to ours. Niko here was only acting as I had taught him. He was taught as I was, as Davy was. Now that the matter has been solved, it shan't happen again." He gives a respectful nod to G.

Taking a cleansing breath, G closes his blue eyes to gather his patience. "Under no circumstance, at any time, are weapons allowed on these premises. If you want to be here, they have to go. Otherwise," he pauses to consider his words carefully despite considering these men friends, "I will have no choice but to call the police."

So it was agreed that the men would no longer carry their knives on property. The risk to the children took precedence over their devotion to protect Jones.

Later that day, when they both are calmed, Davy and Emma are pulled into G's office together. It is their turn to be informed of the events, though Montana and Karine had already told Emma everything. Davy repeats the same speech Jimmy delivered about the knife, reluctantly showing the one he carries as well. He also points out that they aren't just for threatening- however handy they are in this type of situation- they are really meant for cutting rigging and lines.

They sit in silence as G keeps his face near his tented fingers. He gives a nod, considering everything that occurred today. "Granted they are useful on a ship, Davy, you are no longer on the _Genesis_. I will have to ask you to keep the knife at home just like the other two. I consider you a dear friend, don't force me to get the law involved. I have to protect the children first. "

Davy rises to his feet and gives a slight bow in agreement. "I must apologize for my actions. I let my rage take a hold of me before I had a chance to think."

G's blue eyes flicker from Davy over to Emma. Another nod. "No need. I would probably do the same thing if someone were speaking to my wife in the same manner." His thoughts divert to his wife Sam, a woman who many people didn't want him to marry because she is aboriginal. Many times he has fought for their right to be together, to keep her good name in tact. He leaves the thought and looks directly at Davy, leaning forward for a thorough examination of Jones' face. "You love her, don't you?"

Davy looks over to his fiancee and smiles softly. "Yes. I'd protect her no matter the cost."

"Well, we've seen that today, haven't we?" G gives a chuckle. "Remind me not to get on your bad side, my friend." He extends his hand to end the meeting. They shake firmly in agreement. As Davy leads Emma out the door, G calls to him one more time. "Jones. Do me one favor?"

Davy stops in his tracks. "Anything."

"Continue to take care of her for me."


	26. Chapter 26: You did the same

Seeing Jones' violent reaction to someone mistreating her has left Emma Grace feeling wondrously protected and loved. No one has ever stood up for her like that before. If she had questioned his devotion prior to his outburst, she certainly cannot entertain that thought now.

"Ye are staring at it again."

Jones' voice interrupts her train of thought. She looks up to see a smug grin has formed upon his face, most likely enjoying the notion of her inspecting her engagement ring so closely.

"I will admit that I am still amazed at how my life has changed in less than a year. This time last year, I was single, lonely and alone. Now I'm getting married..."

"To the best damn man there is..." Jones interrupts again.

She leans in and ravels a tentacle around her hand, "to the best damn _conceited_ man there is!" She smiles when he pulls away in laughter. Somehow mildly insulting one another has become an enjoyable game. She continues, "I'm serious, Davy. It amazes me sometimes. I never imagined I would have a friend like you, let alone a fiance. I thought I was always going to be alone. That no one would ever appreciate me for who I am."

"I'm ten years your senior and therefore have spent more time in self-inflicted solitary confinement. Can ye imagine how this is for me?"

"Crazy?"

He nods and tilts the neck of his beer bottle in her direction before taking a sip. "I didn't think anyone could love me for who I am, and...here we are."

A nagging feeling starts nibbling at her insides. "It's just that, well, I am new to this." The voice tells her she doesn't deserve to be so loved and fiercely defended.

"As am I, love." He takes another drink.

"I'm afraid I'll ruin it somehow."

"The easiest solution here is to _not_ do that."

She tilts her head at his sarcasm.

He reaches across the picnic table where she sits and slaps his hand down on her knee. "We've already had this discussion. Infidelity and lies will not be tolerated. Neither will excessive alcohol or drug abuse. I'm committed to being a prudish schoolmarm to keep this relationship healthy."

She cannot hold her laugh back. "Will you take this seriously, please?"

Jones leans closer to her. "Em, ye are over-analyzing things again. That bastard this morning has shaken your confidence. Just take it one day at a time. Stop worrying about the future, we aren't there yet. Sit back and enjoy the ride. I'm not going anywhere, and I'm certainly not going to let ye go anywhere. Ye are mine now, woman." He winks.

She shakes her head. "You are lucky I find your sense of humor charming."

"There! And if that ever changes, then we'll deal with it at that time. Right now, I choose to pester ye because I can get away with it."

"You be careful, or I'll become the schoolmarm."

"Ouch! We're not even married yet and ye are threatening to withhold already?"

"It's my God given right as a woman."

Raising his hands in defeat, Jones laughs. "I'll behave." He finishes the last of his beer and slams the bottle down on the wooden table top. His eyes are drawn to the sight of his brother and son approaching from the pathway leading away from the beach. Behind them, the sound of laughter from the campers as they head in for lunch. Tana and Karine are soon to follow.

"There's the hero of the day!" Jimmy proclaims and slaps his hand down on Emma's back. The force causes the air to be forcefully exhaled from her lungs.

"What do you mean?" She coughs slightly, trying to catch her breath.

"Ye got that little bastard Morgan fired!" Jim continues with laughter. "That makes ye my hero, 'cause now I don't have to kill 'em!"

"Well, thanks. But I didn't intend to get him fired. He did that on his own."

"Don't be so humble!"

"I certainly am not going to miss that horn dog, that's for sure." Tana says as she joins the table with Karine.

Davy frowns. "Jim, ye going somewhere?"

"Shut up!" Tana slaps the captain's arm.

"Now, now. Violence is not tolerated here." Jones paraphrases the verbal lashing he received a few hours previous. "Do ye want me to get ye fired too?"

"Emma got him fired."

"Nay, we do things as a couple. There's no 'i' in couple."

Tana scoffs. "There is certainly an 'i' in conceited."

"That's the second time today someone has said that to me." Jones snorts as Emma gets up from the table.

Emma, seeing her Godfather approaching, decides that her fiance probably shouldn't get in trouble for having an open beer bottle on premises after this morning's outburst. She conceals the bottle as she goes. "Well maybe you should start listening to us. The common denominator here is you."

She crosses the open field to where the recycling bins are located. A cool breeze travels over her skin as the shadows from the maple trees above dance around her. She shivers. Placing the bottle in the bin, she cannot help but feel the presence of something malevolent. She looks up to see Morgan staring at her, face red with anger. In his clenched fists, the suitcases that carry what should have been a summer's worth of clothing.

"You know drinking is not allowed."

Instead of backing down like she normally would, Emma finds her courage. Suddenly this jerk doesn't seem so imposing. She is hit with the silence that surrounds them. All eyes have turned to them but no one moves an inch, terrified of what could happen next.

Emma lifts her chin. "Just like the harassment of your fellow co-workers? And sleeping with co-workers? And campers? How about all the times I caught you smoking weed and never said anything? Huh?"

Morgan's face grows darker. "None of that matters now, thanks to you."

"No, that is your own doing."

"Fuck you Emma." He pushes past her, knocking her back slightly.

"No, you go fuck yourself, Morgan! You deserve everything that you get!"

Morgan drops his suitcases and turns on his heels. He approaches her as if he is going to strike. When Jones jumps to his feet, he halts in front of her. Knowing that he could knock her to the ground before Jones could ever reach her, he instead decides to deliver a verbal blow. In a low, sinister voice, he whispers, "enjoy fucking your monster, he's all you deserve."

All the years of torment she has endured by this boy. All the times she fought back tears because of what he has said and done. It all comes bubbling up with the vulgarity of the word "monster". Without thought, her had flies to his face. The contact it makes causes his head to fly back, her hand instantly throbbing from the force.

Shaking his head from the jolt, Morgan stands there, in complete shock while holding a hand to his bruised cheek. Off to the side, Jimmy's laughter cackles loudly with sadistic pleasure before Tana elbows him into silence. The entire crowd around them is now shocked with jaws hanging wide.

"Say it again. Say it so he can hear you, you coward!" Emma growls.

From behind them, Emma's Godfather's voice intervenes. "Morgan! That is enough! Get out of here now!"

She watches him slink away for the last time. A heavy hand squeezes her shoulder, she jumps before realizing it is Davy. Upon recognizing his presence, the tension flows from her body and she begins to tremble.

"Niko, get some ice for her hand." Davy instructs his son.

Jones leads her back to the picnic table, as the campers are led away from the scene. Emma pulls her hand back from the harshness of the ice when Jones tries to place it in the bowl. The group remains silent for a while, shocked and amazed at the sudden growth of a backbone down Emma's backside.

"Okay, if no one else is going to say it...Emma that was fucking awesome!" Niko bellows.

Jones sends him a cautionary glare over his shoulder.

"Thanks." She mumbles, her hand now aching. "I think."

"He deserved it." Karine follows.

"Saved me from having to do it myself!" Jim adds.

"Okay, that is enough!" Jones loses his cool. "All of ye, go elsewhere!" When they are left alone, Jones examines her face carefully before continuing. "What the hell was that? Em, that is not like ye, to use physical force!" He pauses and then laughs to himself, "that is my job."

"I don't know. I'm just so tired of being bullied and harassed." She looks up from her swelling hand, her eyes heavy with sorrow. "He...insulted you."

Jones leans in closer, his eyes narrowing in an attempt to understand. "Ye struck him because he insulted me?"

"Go figure. I put up with years of abuse, but he insults you once and I rattle his brain." She pauses, noticing the slight smile upon his lips. "I won't stand for it."

"What exactly did he say?"

Emma swallows hard, not wanting to repeat the word or the derogatory remark it involved. "I...I don't want to say..."

Jones places his hand behind her head and pulls her forehead to his lips. "Never mind, then. It's not important. But it looks like we are both a force to be reckoned with, aye? No one will mess with us again!"

He rises to his feet to go find her a towel. Before turning, he looks down at this little, feminine being before him. One that had just now so fiercely defended his honor. Once again she has surprised him in showing the well hidden secrets within herself. She is stronger than he realized, plus with a tenacious devotion to him that he has never seen before. "Thank ye for standing up for me. No one has ever done anything like that for me. Ever."

She looks up and smiles. "How could I not? You did the same."


End file.
